Robots on the march

摘要

Robots capture the imagination. With low-cost development platforms becoming more readily available, the opportunities for people to use robots for education and end applications continue to grow. The term "robot" is a tough beast to define, though, because people usually anthropomorphize these devices, thinking of them as servants or pets. Most people know a robot when they see one, but you would be hard-pressed to find a description that works all or even most of the time. For example, iRobot refers to its Roomba as a vacuuming robot, and many people have no trouble calling it a robot. On the other hand, many people have a harder time calling an autonomous automobile, such as those running in this year's DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge, a robot.