Is a computer the same thing as a robot?

Answer 1

A computer is a programable device that processes information and instructions. The output depends on the nature of the program it is running. A simple computer can keep time and ring an alarm according to its program. A 'Super Computer' can model the chemical interactions taking place within a living cell and display this via 3D modeling. A robot is a device that includes a computer as well as sensors which provide the robot with real time information regarding its environment, and movable parts which the robot can move to interact with its environment. A simple robot might be aware of some factor in its environment and change a switch when certain parameters are met. An advanced robot might sense through its cameras the surface of a distant planet or moon and photograph what it has been programmed to photograph. It might land on a planet and roam around taking measurements, photographs and soil samples. When its sensors detect a 'mother ship' in orbit overhead, it could contact the 'mother ship.' The robot must have the ability to locate the mother ship, aim its antenna at the mother ship, negotiate a data connection, and relay the data it had stored. A robot must have a very capable computer as part of its design.