Say it like this

A machine with a body that does a job, and somebody had to teach it how.

For the grown-up

A robot combines sensors, actuators and a control system: something to notice with, something to move with, and something to connect the two. Most real robots look like an arm bolted to a table rather than anything from a film.

The easy mistake

Careful here. A robot is not the same as artificial intelligence. AI is a way of deciding and needs no body. Most robots in the world contain no AI at all, and most AI a child meets has no body.

The full explanation

What Is a Robot?

A glossary entry is the short version. This one has the child explanation, the grown-up explanation, the questions and an activity.

Read it

Words next to this one

Machine A thing built to do a job that would otherwise take a person a lot of effort. Artificial Intelligence A computer that has looked at so many examples it can start guessing about things it has never seen before. Computer A machine that follows instructions very fast and never gets bored of doing the same thing again. Algorithm A list of steps for getting something done, written out so carefully that a machine can follow it.