Robots in Action RI 3.2

Robots are popular in movies. They look sort of like people. They have heads, arms, and legs. Sometimes they are very big. In many movies, robots can think and do things on their own. They can be scary or nice. Sometimes they help people, and sometimes they do bad things. 

Real robots are different from the robots in movies. They usually do not look much like people. They do jobs that are hard or dangerous. They cannot think for themselves. Real robots are at work every day in factories. Scientists use them, too. There are even robots in some homes. They all do jobs that are important. 

What is a robot? A robot is a machine with many different parts. It must have some kind of motor to help it move. A robot also needs sensors which help it learn about what is going on around it. A robot must be programmed or told what to do. It must have a power source and get energy to do its job.

 Many robots are used in factories. They are helpful because they can do jobs faster than people. This means that they can put things together or move things around quickly. Robots are also stronger than people. They can lift very heavy things. Robots are common in the factories that build things like cars. They quickly put parts together and cut things exactly right. People can make mistakes on things like that, but robots do not. If their instructions are right, then they always do the same thing over and over. 

Robots are also useful to scientists. They can go places that are not safe for people. Scientists use robots to explore dangerous places, like the bottom of the ocean. Robots also explore in space. Scientists have sent robots to the moon and to Mars. These robots look like little cars. They carry equipment to do scientific experiments. They can pick up dirt and rocks. They measure and take pictures. They can try things with the dirt that tell scientists what it is made of. 

Some robots help doctors. These robots have very small parts. They can perform surgery or help the doctor find out what is wrong inside a person’s body. Robots can fill pill bottles to make sure people get the right medicine. 

(7)  Some robots help the police and soldiers. These robots do dangerous work. They help get rid of bombs. This keeps more people safe. There is a person who runs the robot and stays far away from the bomb. If the bomb blows up, the police officer or soldier does not get hurt. A robot is just a machine, and it can be fixed or replaced. It is more important to keep people safe, so robots do this dangerous job.

Some people even have robots in their homes. Most are very expensive. There are robots that can sweep the floor and robots that are used as toys. There are scientists who work to build new kinds of robots. Someday, robots may be able to help people who cannot take care of themselves. They may be able to teach children things or do yard work. But for now, the robots that are in the movies mostly come from the imagination of the writers.

1

What is the main idea of the text?

1

Which detail supports the main idea of the text?

1

Which sentence from the text supports the fact that robots are sometimes better than people?

1

Which detail supports the fact that robots are useful to scientists?

1

What is the main idea of the text?

Which detail supports the main idea of the text?

Which sentence from the text supports the fact that robots are sometimes better than people?

Which detail supports the fact that robots are useful to scientists?

What is the main idea of paragraph 7?