n.
Any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not look much like a human being or function in a humanlike manner.
The term comes from the play R.U.R. by Karel 010C; apek (1920). Major developments in microelectronics and computer technology since the 1960s have led to significant advances in robotics. Advanced, high-performance robots are used today in automobile manufacturing and aircraft assembly, and electronics firms use robotic devices together with other computerized instruments to sort or test finished products.