The Three Characteristics Every Robot Shares — Robotics | IGCSE Computer Science

Exam Frequency Analysis

Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)

This topic accounts for approximately 3% of your exam marks.

stable

Rare

Stable3%

Advantages/disadvantages of using robots in industry are the typical question format.

The syllabus expects you to remember three characteristics that every robot has:

Characteristic	What it means
Mechanical structure	A physical body built from parts (arms, joints, wheels, tracks, grippers) that can move and interact with the environment
Electrical components	The internal sensors, microprocessors and actuators that read the world and drive the body
Programmable	Designed to follow a precise set of instructions (a program); the same hardware can usually be reprogrammed to do different tasks

A device that has only one or two of these is not a robot:

A computer has electrical components and is programmable, but no mechanical structure that moves, so it is not a robot.
A toy car has a mechanical structure but is not programmable, so it is not a robot.
A robotic vacuum cleaner has all three: a mechanical body, sensors and motors inside, and a program that decides how to clean. It therefore counts as a robot.