robotics

English

Etymology

Coined by American science fiction author Isaac Asimov in 1941 from robot +‎ -ics by comparison to "physics ... hydraulics, celestial mechanics, and so on" in his short story Liar!.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: rō-bŏt′iks IPA^(key): /ɹəʊˈbɒt.ɪks/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US, Canada) enPR: rō-bŏ′tiks IPA^(key): /ɹoʊˈbɑ.tɪks/, [ɹoʊˈbɑ.ɾɪks]

  • Audio (Texas):

    (file)

• (General Australian) enPR: rō-bŏt′iks IPA^(key): /ɹəʉˈbɔt.ɪks/, [ɹəʉˈbɔɾ.ɪks]

Noun

robotics (uncountable)

1. The science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application
   • 1941 May, Isaac Asimov, “Liar!”, in Astounding Science-Fiction, volume 27, number 3, page 53:

     There's irony in three of the greatest experts in robotics in the world falling into the same elementary trap, isn't there?

Hypernyms

• mechatronics

 

Coordinate terms

• artificial intelligence

 

Derived terms

• First Law of Robotics
• Second Law of Robotics
• soft robotics
• Third Law of Robotics
• Three Laws of Robotics

 

Related terms

• robopsychologist
• robot
• robotic
• roboticist

 

Translations

the science and technology of robots

Albanian: robotikë f Arabic: رُوبُوتِيَّة f (rōbōtiyya), عِلْمُ الرُّوبُوتَات m (ʕilmu r-rōbōtāt) Azerbaijani: robototexnika Basque: robotika (eu) Belarusian: робататэ́хніка f (robatatéxnika) Bulgarian: робо́тика f (robótika) Catalan: robòtica (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 機器人學／机器人学 (zh) (jīqìrénxué) Czech: robotika (cs) f Danish: robotteknologi c Estonian: robootika Finnish: robotiikka (fi) German: Robotik f Greek: ρομποτική (el) f (rompotikí) Hebrew: רוֹבּוֹטִיקָה (he) f Hindi: रोबॉटिक्स (robŏṭiks) Hungarian: robotika (hu) Icelandic: þjarkafræði f Indonesian: robotika (id) Italian: robotica (it) f Japanese: ロボット工学 (ロボットこうがく, robotto kōgaku), ロボティックス (robotikkusu) Kazakh: робототехника (robototexnika) Khmer: រូបយន្តវិទ្យា (ruupyŭən vɨtyiə) Korean: 로봇공학 (robotgonghak), 로봇학 (robothak) Latin: ars robotica f Latvian: robotika f, robototehnika f Lithuanian: robototechnika (lt) f, robotų technika (lt), robotika (lt) f Macedonian: роботика f (robotika) Persian: رباتیک (robâtik) Polish: robotyka (pl) f Portuguese: robótica (pt) f Romanian: robotică (ro) f Russian: робототе́хника (ru) f (robototéxnika) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: робо̀тика f Roman: robòtika (sh) f Slovak: robotika f Slovene: robotika f Spanish: robótica (es) f Thai: วิทยาการหุ่นยนต์ (wít-tá-yaa-gaan-hùn-yon) Turkish: robotik (tr) Ukrainian: робототе́хніка f (robototéxnika) Welsh: roboteg f

References

• Jeff Prucher, editor (2007), “robotics”, in Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, Oxford, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 165.
• Jesse Sheidlower, editor (2001–2024), “robotics n.”, in Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction.

Further reading

• robotics on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• coorbits