Introduction to Robotics
Guess first
Is a self-flushing toilet a robot?
Most students classify this machine wrong in the exam. Guess first.
Quick check · tap an answer to continue
Lesson notes
Explain the sense-think-act loop and tell a robot from a simple automated machine
Key points
- An automatic gate opener senses a car and opens, but it follows one fixed rule and makes no decision about a goal.
- A robot senses its world, decides using that data, then acts, looping continuously with some autonomy, like a line follower steering back onto tape.
Takeaway: Robot = sense, think, act in a loop, not just automatic motion.
Quick check: A gate at a Kumasi mall opens whenever a sensor detects a car. Is it a robot?
- Yes, it has a sensor
- Yes, it moves on its own
- No, it makes no decisions
Sensing alone is not enough: a robot must sense, decide and act in a loop.
sense-think-actautonomymanipulatorNo decisionSense-think-act
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