Robots

There are robots all around us. Some do very complicated jobs like flying airplanes and driving subway trains. And some do one simple job.

When an automatic washing machine is turned on, water pours in. The machine waits until the water is hot before washing the clothes. It does this by "feedback". Information about what is happening is "feedback" into the robot to tell it what to do next.

Our eyes, ears and other senses are our feedback. They tell us what is going on around us. So robots are like people in two ways. They work and they have feedback.

But very few robots look like people. Many are hidden away. Robots control the temperature of our houses, our cookers, our hot water systems. We can set the controls to the temperature we want. The robot does the rest. Its feedback usually comes from a thermostat.

There are robots all around, making our lives easier. Some of them, like the pocket calculator, can work much more quickly than human beings can. And they rarely make mistakes.

They do not get bored doing the same job over and over again. And they never get tired.

So robots are very useful in factories. They can be taught to do many different jobs. First their electronic brains must be shown how the job is done. A person moves the robot's "arms" and "hands" through each part of the job. The robot's brain remembers each move.

When the robot is put to work on its own, its brain controls the rods, wheels and motors which move its arm. When the robot is needed for a new job, its electronic memory is "wiped clean". Then it is taught how to do its new task.

Robots are also used for doing jobs which are dangerous. And they are not affected by poisonous fumes of gases.

The most "intelligent" robots can move and see.