Robotics
Robotics is the design and use of machines that can carry out tasks automatically using sensors, processors and motors.
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Robotics is the design and use of machines that can carry out tasks automatically using sensors, processors and motors.
- Sensors detect the environment
- Actuators move parts
- Used in factories and surgery
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Robotics?
Within Computer Science, which covers algorithms, programming, data, networks, hardware and safe, responsible use of technology, this topic explains Robotics. Computing topics explain how software, hardware and data work, with diagrams and models that show each step in order.
Check that you can explain Robotics in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Robotics helps you design, test and explain programs, websites and systems, from small projects to exam questions.
Robotics in detail
Robotics combines computing, engineering and electronics to design, build and operate robots, machines that sense their environment, make decisions and act. Parts include sensors (cameras, touch, distance), a processor or controller, actuators (motors) and a power source.
Robots are used in manufacturing, surgery, exploration (Mars rovers), warehouses, farming and homes (robot vacuum cleaners). They can work in dangerous places, and with great precision and without tiredness. Concerns include job displacement, safety and cost. Programming a robot involves sequence, selection and iteration, with feedback from sensors.
How the interactive helps you understand Robotics
Watch the network in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the network responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Robotics.
Real-life uses and examples
- Recognise Robotics in an app or device you use every day.
- Apply Robotics when you design a small program, website or spreadsheet.
- Explain Robotics to someone new to computing by comparing it to a familiar process.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the term without being able to say what the computer actually does.
- Testing only the normal case and forgetting the edge cases.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Robotics
What is Robotics?
Robotics is the design and use of machines that can carry out tasks automatically using sensors, processors and motors.
What are the most important points about Robotics?
The main points are: Sensors detect the environment; Actuators move parts; Used in factories and surgery.
Why is Robotics useful?
Understanding Robotics helps you design, test and explain programs, websites and systems, from small projects to exam questions.
How can I practise Robotics?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Robotics?
Related topics in Computer Science include Spreadsheets, Embedded Systems and IoT, Moore's Law.