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" [1] in his short story Liar!.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rō-bŏt′iks
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹəʊˈbɒt.ɪks/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɹoʊˈbɑt.ɪks/, [ɹoʊˈbɑɾɪks]

Noun

robotics (uncountable)

1. The science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application
   • 1941 May, Asimov, Isaac, “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?

Related terms

• artificial intelligence
• three laws of robotics

Translations

The science and technology of robots

• Basque: robotika (eu)
• Catalan: robòtica (ca) f
• Czech: robotika (cs)
• Finnish: robotiikka (fi)
• German: Robotik f
• Greek: ρομποτική (el) f (rompotikí)
• Hungarian: robotika
• Icelandic: þjarkafræði f
• Italian: robotica (it) f
• Khmer: រូបយន្តវិទ្យា (roob yon vit tyea)

• Latin: ars robotica f
• Lithuanian: robototechnika (lt) f, robotų technika (lt)
• Portuguese: robótica (pt) f
• Romanian: robotica
• Russian: робототехника (ru) (robototexnika)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: робо̀тика f

  Roman: robòtika (sh) f

• Spanish: robótica (es) f

References

• “robotics” in Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, Oxford University Press, 2007, →ISBN, page 165.
• robotics n. at the OED Science Fiction Citations Project

Anagrams

• coorbits, corbitos