Science-fiction films and books are full of robots that look, and even think, exactly like humans. Some people believe it will not be long before such machines become reality. However, most advanced electronic machines still look nothing like people. These machines cannot yet think in the same way as a person; some say they never will. But they are able to make decisions and solve problems.
An airliner's automatic pilot, for example, can control a plane, even during take-off and landing. Computers issue detailed instructions in order to control the way robots act. The simplest robots just follow a set of instructions and repeat the same movements again and again. Many factories rely on such robots to carry out the sort of tasks that a human worker could certainly find very boring and they can do many jobs more quickly and with great accuracy. Very advanced robots have sensors with which they can collect information about their surroundings. These robots can move from place to place, using tiny cameras to find their way. Many scientists are convinced that robots will soon be intelligent enough to explore other planets more effectively than humans.
Tags: science, technology
