What is robotics?!

I am smiling full-swing when I see that the world can't find a place for robots! :-)

Check eBay, for example. Most robots are placed in toys group along with monsters and aliens! Others - to industrial robots that look more like a crane. Luckiest are placed to microcontrollers and test equipment...

Many people believe that robots are humanoid-type walking machines. Well, not correct assumptions at all! ::--))

Is robotics about mechanics? - No, it is not. Is it SW? - Not only. Is it computer HW? - No. What is it then? There is no clear cut answer. The field is wide and not well defined currently.

I wrote all this just to introduce another robot - Marvelmind Grumbler (see the picture above). Those who believe that it is a car are partly mistaken. Its mechanics is wheeled-based and yes, the robot looks like a car, though it moves like a tank and can turn 360 degrees on a spot.

But most importantly, this robot is autonomous! It does not require a remote control. It does what it wants. It senses the environment and acts accordingly.

When I use word robot, I usually refer to an embodied artificial intelligence. Thus, these terms are quite synonymous for me.