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?

   • 2025 March 25, John Liu, “Elon Musk thinks robots are a $10 trillion business. He’s got some competition from China”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     While it may take another five to 10 years for humanoid robots to make a real societal impact, they could eventually become the next widely adopted consumer electronics, according to Xi Ning, chair professor of robotics and automation at the University of Hong Kong.

Hypernyms

• mechatronics

Coordinate terms

• artificial intelligence

Derived terms

• biorobotics
• First Law of Robotics
• microbotics
• microrobotics
• nanorobotics
• neurorobotics
• Second Law of Robotics
• sociorobotics
• soft robotics
• telerobotics
• 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
• Dutch: robotica (nl) f
• Estonian: robootika
• Finnish: robotiikka (fi)
• French: robotique (fr)
• German: Robotik (de) 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

  Latin: 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 (2001–2026), “robotics n.”, in Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction.

Further reading

• robotics on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• coorbits