A robot is a machine that can be programmed to perform activities that previously only people could perform.
From the English robot , which in turn derives from the Czech robota ( "personal service" ), a robot is a programmable machine that can manipulate objects and perform operations that previously only humans could perform.
The robot can be either a physical electromechanical mechanism or a virtual software system. Both coincide in providing the sensation of having the capacity for thought or resolution, although in reality they are limited to executing orders dictated by people.
Evolution of robots
Although there is no precise definition of the concept, it is usually considered that a robot has the ability to imitate the behavior of humans or animals. There are humanoid robots , emerging from the second half of the 20th century , that can walk, move a mechanical arm, manipulate their environment or even respond to stimuli.
Modern robotics differs from the old one in the face of logical scientific advance. However, the first attempts to create robots date back to the 4th century BC, when the Greek mathematician Archytas of Taranto managed to build a mechanical bird that ran on steam.
Robots are currently used in the industrial field (to assemble parts of various mechanisms, move large weights and other tasks), in medicine (to operate in places that are difficult to access) and in the military field (to reduce human casualties), among other sectors.
Robots appear in many works of fiction.
Some examples
Among the most important robots that have emerged in recent years we would have to highlight, for example, Riba II , which comes to work as a nurse since it is very useful in helping people who cannot get up from bed on their own. bed. It has a forceful and strong structure that allows it to get these patients out of bed.
In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of ATLAS . This is a humanoid robot created by the United States Pentagon whose function is to play a fundamental role in emergency situations. And it has the capacity to perform functions that are very dangerous, as well as excessively complicated, for human beings.
In the artistic field, robots have had a great role for years. Thus, for example, in cinema some of them have already become part of our cultural heritage. This would be the case of two of the most charismatic and beloved characters in the “Star Wars” saga: C3PO and R2D2 .
Robots and humans
People, in general, react positively to robots since they consider that they can provide help with various tasks. The most pessimistic, on the other hand, maintain that robots are replacing human beings in the world of work and even fear a possible rebellion of machines against man .
These dilemmas about the role that robots can play in our lives have been analyzed and raised in depth in both literature and cinema. In the first area we would highlight the work “Foundation Saga” , written by the Russian Isaac Asimov . In the seventh art, the most important films on this subject are “Blade Runner” , directed in 1982 by Ridley Scott , and “Terminator” , which was released in 1984 by James Cameron .