Since prehistoric time man has dreamt of mechanical slaves of great strength which could carry out wonderful tasks for him. Ingenious inventors have designed and fabricated some such devices over the ages but it was in 1921 that Karel Capek first coined the word 'robot'. In the1960s the first computer controlled robot was developed and today robots find numerous applications in the industrial set-up. This small volume written in lucid language for the layman not only describes the types of robots available but also enunciates how the new age of robots will open many new possibilities for mankind.
M. R. Chidambara, M.sc. (Engg.) and D'Sc., was bom in Sira, Kamataka. He was with Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., USA from 1961 to 1971. He then joined the Indian Institute of Science, as' Professor, Department of Computer Science and Automation where he initiated and developed the Robotics Laboratory and the graduate course on robotics. He is a Senior Member IEEE, Member Sigma XI, Member-Eta Kappa Nu. While at USA he was listed in the American Men and Women of Science.