A robot is made up of the very same components. A typical robot has a movable physical structure, a motor of some sort, a sensor system, a power supply and a computer "brain" that controls all of these elements. Essentially, robots are man-made versions of animal life -- they are machines that replicate human and animal behavior.
According to these things, we can sum up that computer makes a robot brain :)
When you push a vacuum cleaner around your house, you don't consider yourself to be working with a robot; however, when a Roomba travels around the house and picks up dirt on its own, it's considered a vacuuming robot. So what makes a robot a robot?
We've had lots of discussions about this at Autodesk, and we've decided that here is what's required:
Heart
Robots need a power source to operate.
Movement
Robots rely on actuators or motors and hydraulics to convert energy into movement and force.
Senses
Robots use sensors to see and feel what’s happening in their environment.
Hands
Robots leverage effectors — tools that handle materials and manipulate things.
Head
Robots have a control system — a brain that directs their operation.
If you take any one of these characteristics, the thing is no longer a robot. It's a machine.
