I found this old book at a used library book sale. It was in a box marked FREE. Obviously the librarian doesn't know about BookCrossing. Or s/he didn't want to take the time to register and label all those books!

Robots have come a long way since 1983, so this book is certainly outdated.

This book, though old, gives a strong background on the history of robotics. Broken into easy segments, the book covers definition, history, industrial robots, home and office robots, scientific robots, and futuristic robots. The book also includes a useful index though it lacks an even more useful bibliography. Published in 1983, it is a bit outdates. Robots have been given thousands more applications from research info on the internet (spyders) to cleaning the floors (vacbots). We haven't advanced to android companionship as in Star Wars, but we cretainly have created a niche for independently functioning machines in society. Great book for young engineers and those who are curious how robots began. For more recent advancements other sources will be necessary.