Agency Dictionary
robotics
nounPronunciation: /roʊˈbɒt.ɪks/
In Portuguese: robótica
Technology & AIWhat does “robotics” mean?
The branch of engineering and technology devoted to the design, construction, and operation of automated machines.
Etymology
Coined by science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov from robot (itself from Czech robota, forced labor) with the suffix -ics, following the pattern of physics and electronics. Asimov used the term in short stories of the early 1940s, and it became the standard name for the engineering discipline devoted to designing, building, and operating automated machines.
Usage note
Robotics covers both the hardware engineering of machines and the software that controls them. It overlaps with automation, artificial intelligence, and mechatronics.
Word family
- robot
- robotic
- roboticist
Rhymes with
- narcotics
- exotics
- hypnotics
- neurotics
Usage examples
But I would have replaced ethics with robotics or something more useful like that.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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