💻 TechnologyGrade 2Lesson 34
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Robots and Machines That Help People

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Learning Objectives

  • 1Identify robots and helpful machines
  • 2Explain how they help people with jobs
  • 3Tell why a robot is a special kind of machine
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Mini Lesson

Look around your home, park, or town. You will find machines helping people everywhere. Some machines wash, lift, carry, or clean. Some special machines are robots. They help people do jobs that would take longer, feel harder, or need the same steps again and again.

What is a machine?

  • A machine is a tool that helps people do a job.
  • Machines can make work easier, faster, or safer.
  • Examples: a washing machine, a dishwasher, and a tractor.

What makes a robot special?

  • A robot is a special kind of machine that follows instructions to do actions.
  • Some robots move, carry, sort, or clean.
  • Examples: a robot vacuum, a delivery robot, and a robot arm in a factory.

Where do they help people?

  • At home, machines can wash clothes, dishes, and floors.
  • On farms, machines can pull heavy tools and help with field work.
  • In workplaces, robots can carry items or help build things.

People stay in charge

  • People choose the job, switch the machine on, and use it safely.
  • Robots and machines are tools that help people — they are not in charge.
Robots and helpful machinesA chart comparing robots and other helpful machines with example pictures and labels.Helpful TechnologyMachinesRobotswasherdishwashertractorrobot vacuumdelivery robotrobot armAll robots are machines, but not all machines are robots.
A side-by-side chart showing everyday helpful machines and robots.
Places where machines help peopleFour labeled boxes show machines helping at home, on a farm, in a delivery setting, and in a factory.Where They HelpHomewash and cleanFarmpull and moveDeliverycarry itemsFactorybuild things
Four places where machines and robots help people with real jobs.
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Ask yourself: "What is a robot? How is it different from another helpful machine? Where have I seen a machine help people?"

Vocabulary
Robot
A machine that can move and do tasks on its owne.g. A robot vacuum cleans the floor by itself.
Machine
A tool with parts that work together to do a jobe.g. A washing machine cleans clothes.
Sensor
A part that helps a machine notice things, like light or motione.g. A robot uses a sensor to find walls.
Help
To make a job easier for someonee.g. Robots help people lift heavy things.
Control
To make something do what you wante.g. A person controls the robot with a button.
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← Lesson 33: What Is Artificial Intelligence? A First Look at Smart MachinesLesson 35: AI Tools That Help People: A Responsible Introduction →