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They have been part of our collective imagination almost since we began to set down words. Mechanical beings sparked to life in the myths of ancient Greece, the Middle East, China and the Nordic countries. Today we call them robots—from robota, meaning “drudgery” or “hard work” in Czech and related languages. As that name implies, so far these useful machines have been limited in their applications to the sorts of repetitive tasks best suited to automatons—tirelessly turning screw after screw in a factory assembly line, for instance.

Now robots are beginning to enter our lives in much more personal ways. Already robo-vacuums such as the Roomba are easing housework, and digital pets such as Tamagotchis and the e-dog Aibo are serving as electronic companions. Experts envision far more in the short years ahead. Bill Gates writes in his feature article “A Robot in Every Home,”  of nothing less than a transformation of domestic life. It is only a matter of time. After all, he adds: “Some of the world’s best minds are trying to solve the toughest problems of robotics, such as visual recognition, navigation and machine learning.” Two million personal robots were in use worldwide in 2004, and seven million more will be installed by this year, according to one estimate.

To expand further, they will require adaptive, complex processors, as Hans Moravec describes in “Rise of the Robots.” By 2050 robot “brains” that execute 100 trillion instructions per second will start to rival human intelligence. Robots will also need to become more physically flexible and adaptable. In “Artificial Muscles,” Steven Ashley describes springy polymers that could even produce power with movement.

At the same time that robots will be acquiring more human attributes, people will be adopting electronic implants to improve skills such as memory, according to “The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine,” by Ray Kurzweil. We will also be using the power of thought to direct machines, say Miguel A. L. Nicolelis and John K. Chapin in “Controlling Robots with the Mind.” Indeed, the differences between maker and creation grow less distinct all the time.

Here are some articles featured in this edition...

A Robot in Every Home by Bill Gates
The leader of the PC revolution predicts that the next hot field will be robotics.

Rise of the Robots by Hans Moravec
By 2050 robot "brains" based on compu�ters that execute 100 trillion instructions per second will start rivaling human intelligence.

The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine by Ray Kurzweil
The accelerating pace of technological progress means that our intelligent reations will soon eclipse us—and that their reations will eventually eclipse them.

Robots vs. Humans: Who Should Explore Space? by Francis Slakey and Paul D. Spudis
Unmanned spacecraft are exploring the solar system more cheaply and effectively than astronauts are. Astronaut explorers can perform science in space that robots cannot.

An Army of Small Robots by Robert Grabowski, Luis E. Navarro-Serment and Pradeep K. Khosla
For robot designers these days, small is beautiful.

Swarm Smarts by Eric Bonabeau and Guy Théraulaz
Using ants and other social insects as models, computer scientists have created software agents that cooperate to solve complex problems, such as the rerouting of traffic in a busy telecom network.

Go Forth and Replicate by Moshe Sipper and James A. Reggia
Birds do it, bees do it, but could machines do it? Computer simulations suggest that the answer is yes.

Ballbots by Ralph Hollis
A new mode of locomotion will enable mobile robots to stand tall and move gracefully through busy everyday environments.

Artificial Muscles by Steven Ashley
Novel motion-producing devices—actuators, motors, generators—based on polymers that change shape when stimulated electrically are reaching commercialization.

Controlling Robots with the Mind by Miguel A. L. Nicolelis and John K. Chapin
People with nerve or limb injuries may one day be able to command wheelchairs, prosthetics, and even paralyzed arms and legs by "thinking them through" the motions.

Innovations from a Robot Rally by W. Wayt Gibbs
The Grand Challenge competition spurred advances in laser sensing, computer vision and autonomous navigation—not to mention a thrilling race for the $2-million prize.