Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and science that includes mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and others. Robotics deals with the design, construction, operation and use of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback and information processing.
These technologies are used to develop machines that can replace humans. Robots can be used in any situation and for any purpose, but nowadays many are used in hazardous environments (including bomb detection and deactivation), manufacturing processes or where humans can not survive. Robots can take any shape, but some are made to look like humans in appearance. This is said to aid in the acceptance of a robot in certain replicative behaviors that people usually do. Such robots try to replicate walking, lifting, speech, cognition, and basically all that a human being can do. Many of today's robots are inspired by nature, contributing to the field of robotics inspired by bio-inspiration.
The concept of creating machines that can function autonomously goes back to the classical period, but research on the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the twentieth century. Throughout history, it has often been assumed that robots will someday be able to imitate human behavior and manage tasks in a human way. Today, robotics is a rapidly growing field, as technological advances continue; investigating, designing and building new robots serve various practical purposes, whether at the national, commercial or military level. Many robots are built to do jobs that are dangerous to people, such as turning off bombs, finding survivors in unstable ruins, and mining mines and wrecks. Robotics is also used in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a teaching aid.