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An introduction to what robots are and how they follow instructions provided by humans.
Have you ever wished a machine could clean your room or do your homework for you? Robots are everywhere, but they aren't as smart as you think!
A robot is a special kind of machine. Unlike a simple tool like a hammer, a robot can do tasks on its own after a human gives it a plan. To be a robot, a machine usually does three things: it senses the world around it (like seeing or feeling), it thinks about what to do using a computer 'brain,' and then it acts by moving or doing a job. Think of a robot as a machine that can 'see' a problem and 'do' a solution!
Quick Check
What are the three main things a robot does to complete a task?
Answer
A robot senses, thinks, and acts.
You might think robots only live in movies, but they are in your house right now! A vacuum robot (like a Roomba) senses where the walls are so it doesn't bump into them. A dishwasher is a robot that follows a set of steps to clean your plates. Even some traffic lights act like robots because they use sensors to 'see' cars and decide when to change from red to green.
1. The door senses you walking toward it using a motion sensor. 2. The door's computer thinks: 'Someone is here, I should open!' 3. The door acts by sliding open so you can walk through.
Quick Check
Name one robot you might find in a kitchen or a living room.
Answer
A dishwasher or a vacuum robot.
Robots are not 'alive' and they don't have feelings. They are only as smart as the instructions we give them. These instructions are called code. If you tell a robot to 'walk forward' but forget to tell it to 'stop at the wall,' the robot will keep walking right into the wall! It doesn't know any better because it only does exactly what it is told to do by a human.
Scientists on Earth send a list of instructions to a robot on Mars. 1. The Rover receives the code: 'Drive 5 meters, then stop.' 2. The Rover follows the instruction exactly. 3. If the scientists make a mistake and say 'Drive 100 meters' into a giant hole, the robot will do it because it cannot think for itself!
What do we call the instructions that tell a robot what to do?
Which of these is an example of a robot sensing the world?
A robot can decide to change its plan if it gets bored.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, look around your house. Can you find one machine that 'senses' something and then 'acts'?
Practice Activity
Try giving a 'robot' (a friend or parent) very specific instructions to make a peanut butter sandwich. If you don't tell them to 'open the jar,' can they do it?