What is robotics?

Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, manufacture and operation of robots. The objective of the robotics field is to create intelligent machines that can assist humans in a variety of ways.

Robotics can take on a number of forms. A robot may resemble a human, or it may be in the form of a robotic application, such as robotic process automation (RPA), which simulates how humans engage with software to perform repetitive, rules-based tasks.

While the field of robotics and exploration of the potential uses and functionality of robots have grown substantially in the 20th century, the idea is certainly not a new one.