Robotics is design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to perform tasks done traditionally by human beings. Robots are widely used in such industries as automobile manufacture to perform simple repetitive tasks, and in industries where work must be performed in environments hazardous to humans. Many aspects of robotics involve artificial intelligence; robots may be equipped with the equivalent of human senses such as vision, touch, and the ability to sense temperature. Some are even capable of simple decision making, and current robotics research is geared toward devising robots with a degree of self-sufficiency that will permit mobility and decision-making in an unstructured environment. Today's industrial robots do not resemble human beings; a robot in human form is called an android.
Robotika dapat dimaknai sebagai ilmu yang mematerikan kecerdasan/intelegensia terhadap energi, artinya pengendalian secara cerdas terhadap gerakan yang terkoordinasi secara nyata. Istilah ini diperkenalkan oleh Isaac Asimov untuk pertama kalinya dalam cerita pendeknya yang berjudul Runaround yang terbit tahun 1942.