Robotics

Terms related to robotics, including definitions about consumer or manufacturing robots and words and phrases about stepper motor systems, XY positioning tables, automation and artificial intelligence.

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adaptive cruise control - Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is a driver assistance technology that sets a maximum speed for vehicles and automatically slows the speed of the car when traffic is sensed in front of the vehicle.
artificial general intelligence (AGI) - Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is the representation of generalized human cognitive abilities in software so that, faced with an unfamiliar task, the AI system could find a solution.
atom - An atom is a particle of matter that uniquely defines a chemical element.
biotechnology (biotech) - Biotechnology is the use of biology to develop new products, methods and organisms intended to improve human health and society.
Blue Moon Lander - Blue Moon Lander is a spacecraft being designed to land on the lunar surface by 2024.
Blue Origin - Blue Origin is a private spaceflight company based in Kent, Wash.
bot - A bot -- short for robot and also called an internet bot -- is a computer program that operates as an agent for a user or other program or to simulate a human activity.
bottleneck - A bottleneck, in a communications context, is a point in the enterprise where the flow of data is impaired or stopped entirely.
chatbot - A chatbot is a software or computer program that simulates the human conversation or "chatter" through text or voice interactions.
closed loop control system - A closed loop control system is a mechanical or electronic device that automatically regulates a system to maintain a desired state or set point without human interaction.
cognitive computing - Cognitive computing is the use of computerized models to simulate the human thought process in complex situations where the answers may be ambiguous and uncertain.
collaborative robot (cobot) - A collaborative robot, also known as a cobot, is an industrial robot that can safely operate alongside humans in a shared workspace.
conservation of angular momentum - Conservation of angular momentum is a physical property of a spinning system such that its spin remains constant unless it is acted upon by an external torque; put another way, the speed of rotation is constant as long as net torque is zero.
degrees of freedom (mechanics) - In mechanics, degrees of freedom (DOF) is the number of independent variables that define the possible positions or motions of a mechanical system in space.
delivery drone - A delivery drone is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used for distributing packages to consumers through advanced AI technology.
distributed control system (DCS) - A distributed control system (DCS) is a digital automated industrial control system (ICS) that uses geographically distributed control loops throughout a factory, machine or control area.
driver assistance - Driver assistance, also known as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), are technologies used to make motor vehicle travel safer by automating, improving or adapting some or all of the tasks involved in operating a vehicle.
drone (UAV) - A drone is an unmanned aircraft.
drone photography - Drone photography is the capture of still images and video by a remotely-operated or autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also known as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or, more commonly, as a drone.
drone services (UAV services) - Drone services, also known as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) services, is the emerging market for services built around flying robots that can be remote-controlled or flown autonomously using software-controlled flight plans in their embedded systems.
end effector - In robotics, an end effector is a device or tool that's connected to the end of a robot arm where the hand would be.
factor of safety (FoS) - Factor of safety (FoS) is ability of a system's structural capacity to be viable beyond its expected or actual loads.
Fourth Industrial Revolution - The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the current and developing environment in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way modern people live and work.
haptics - Haptics (pronounced HAP-tiks) is the science of applying touch (tactile) sensation and control to interaction with computer applications.
hydraulics - Hydraulics is a mechanical function that operates through the force of liquid pressure.
industrial automation - Industrial automation is the control of machinery and processes used in various industries by autonomous systems, which may involve robots or computer software.
kinematics - Kinematics is the study of the motion of mechanical points, bodies and systems without consideration of their associated physical properties and the forces acting on them.
knowledge engineering - Knowledge engineering is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that tries to emulate the judgment and behavior of a human expert in a given field.
locomotion - Locomotion is directional movement that enables someone or something to move from one location to another.
machine learning - Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that allows software applications to become more accurate at predicting outcomes without being explicitly programmed to do so.
machine vision - Machine vision is the ability of a computer to see; it employs one or more video cameras, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) and digital signal processing (DSP).
manufacturing process management (MPM) - Manufacturing process management (MPM) is the discipline of defining how products are manufactured so production processes can be made more efficient and responsive.
mechatronics - Mechatronics is a branch of engineering that focuses on designing, manufacturing and maintaining products that have both mechanical and electronic components.
MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) - A MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) is a miniature machine that has both mechanical and electronic components.
mobile robot (mobile robotics) - A mobile robot is a machine controlled by software that use sensors and other technology to identify its surroundings and move around its environment.
moonshot - In technology, a moonshot is an ambitious, exploratory and groundbreaking project undertaken without the assurance of near-term profitability or benefit and, perhaps, without a full investigation of potential risks and benefits.
nanocrystal - A nanocrystal is a crystalline particle with at least one dimension measuring less than 1000 nanometers (nm), where 1 nm is defined as 1 thousand-millionth of a meter (10-9 m).
nanomachine (nanite) - A nanomachine, also called a nanite, is a mechanical or electromechanical device whose dimensions are measured in nanometers (millionths of a millimeter, or units of 10 -9 meter).
nanopaint - Nanopaint is a coating that can modify the properties of a surface or substance according to user-defined parameters.
nanosecond (ns or nsec) - A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one-billionth of a second.
narrow AI (weak AI) - Narrow AI is an application of artificial intelligence technologies to enable a high-functioning system that replicates -- and perhaps surpasses -- human intelligence for a dedicated purpose.
natural language understanding (NLU) - Natural language understanding (NLU) is a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses computer software to understand input in the form of sentences using text or speech.
neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) - A neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) is a type of battery-electric vehicle that is capable of traveling at a maximum speed of 25 mph and which has a maximum loaded weight of 3,000 lbs.
no-fly zone - A no-fly zone is a restricted area of airspace over a landmark, event or geographic region in which aircraft are forbidden to fly, unless they have special authorization.
object recognition - Object recognition is at the convergence points of robotics, machine vision, neural networks and AI.
personal drone - A personal drone, also known as a hobby or consumer drone, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for the mass market.
phenomenon - A phenomenon, in a scientific context, is something that is observed to occur or to exist.
photolithography - Photolithography is the standard method of printed circuit board (PCB) and microprocessor fabrication.
Plutchik's wheel of emotions - Plutchik's wheel of emotions is a model of human emotions that uses overlaying colors to portray combinations of affect.
pneumatics - Pneumatics (pronounced new-MATT-ix) is an aspect of physics and engineering that is concerned with using the energy in compressed gas to make something move or work.
quantum theory - Quantum theory is the theoretical basis of modern physics that explains the nature and behavior of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level.
resonance charging - Resonance charging is a wireless charging method for items that require large amounts of power, such as an electric car, robot, vacuum cleaner or laptop computer.
robo-advisor - A robo-advisor is an artificial intelligence (AI) driven virtual financial advisor.
robot - A robot is a machine designed to execute one or more tasks automatically with speed and precision.
robot economy - The robot economy is a scenario in which most of the labor required to sustain human life is automated.
robotic personality - Robotic personality is an advanced aspect of artificial intelligence (AI) in which smart machines display idiosyncratic human behavior.
robotic surgery (robot-assisted surgery) - Robotic surgery is the use of computer technologies working in conjunction with robot systems to perform medical procedures.
robotics - Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, manufacture and operation of robots.
self-driving car (autonomous car or driverless car) - A self-driving car (sometimes called an autonomous car or driverless car) is a vehicle that uses a combination of sensors, cameras, radar and artificial intelligence (AI) to travel between destinations without a human operator.
sensor - A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
servo (servomechanism) - A servo or servomechanism is an electromagnetic device that converts electricity into precise controlled motion by use of negative feedback mechanisms.
Singularity (the) - In technology, the singularity describes a hypothetical future where technology growth is out of control and irreversible.
smart machines - A smart machine is a device embedded with machine-to-machine (M2M) and/or cognitive computing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning or deep learning, all of which it uses to reason, problem-solve, make decisions and even, ultimately, take action.
smart robot - A smart robot is an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can learn from its environment and its experience and build on its capabilities based on that knowledge.
social robot - A social robot is an artificial intelligence (AI) system that is designed to interact with humans and other robots.
SpaceX - SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is a space transportation and aerospace manufacturer founded in 2002 by Elon Musk.
spambot - A spambot is an automated system that sends unwanted, unsolicited messages to users, known as spam.
superposition - Superposition is the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time until it is measured.
supervised learning - Supervised learning is an approach to creating artificial intelligence (AI), where a computer algorithm is trained on input data that has been labeled for a particular output.
telepresence robot - A telepresence robot is a remote-controlled, wheeled device that has wireless internet connectivity.
Turing Test - A Turing Test is a method of inquiry in artificial intelligence (AI) for determining whether or not a computer is capable of thinking like a human being.
uncanny valley - The uncanny valley is a common unsettling feeling people experience where androids (humanoid robots) and audio/visual simulations closely resemble humans in many respects but are not quite realistic.
universal basic income (UBI) - Universal basic income (UBI) is a model for providing all citizens of a country or other geographic area with a given sum of money, regardless of their income, resources or employment status.
unsupervised learning - Unsupervised learning refers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to identify patterns in data sets containing data points that are neither classified nor labeled.
vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft - A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft is a vehicle that can depart, hover and land vertically.
virtual assistant (AI assistant) - A virtual assistant, also called AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural language voice commands and completes tasks for the user.
VR locomotion (virtual reality locomotion) - VR locomotion is technology that enables movement from one place to another (locomotion) within a virtual reality environment.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)? - Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.
workflow automation - Workflow automation is an approach to making the flow of tasks, documents and information across work-related activities perform independently in accordance with defined business rules.