1. The word robot, coined by Czech playwright Karel Capek in his 1921 play "R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)," is based on the Czech word "robota," meaning forced labor or serf.
2. Here's a nightmare scenario: Robots learn to build new robots, replicating without human aid and eventually achieving world domination.

3. "Proprioception" is sometimes called the sixth sense.

4. As household robots such as the Roomba vacuum cleaner gain popularity, clashes with pets are becoming more common.

5. Cyborgs--part man and part machine--are coming. In fact, some would say they're already here.

6. Scientists are studying swarming behavior among robots--the collective actions of robots that have individual intelligence.

7. The "Uncanny Valley" is a theory by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori suggesting that as robots become more humanlike, people's empathy with them increases.

8. While androids--humanlike robots--dominate popular perceptions, many roboticists believe that the robots of the future will be limited-function machines that look nothing like people.

9. The U.S. military may be struggling to sign up soldiers, but it's recruiting plenty of robots.

10. Many Americans view robots as threatening, but the Japanese have fully adopted them, consistent with their Buddhist and Shinto principles.

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