The history of robotics is an ancient one, beginning in automata designed to ring bells in china, 1808. since then the subject has grown in leaps and bounds as lives are more and more automated. Robots are referred to in standard computing terminology: Hardware is the robot's body and components, while software is it's programming. The word Automaton comes from latinization of the greek word meaning "acting of one's own will" and refers to anything that operates itself

The omnibot 2000, a simple programmable toy robot
Modern robotics

Scifi robotics