It can do this because it is a bot, or software robot, a program that can interact with people.

BBC: Hand on keyboard

Using so-called reality instant messaging, a software "robot" monitors what you and your friends are doing--watching the same TV shows on different sets, say, or downloading the same song from Eminem--and links all of you via cell phone.

FORBES: Going Virtual

Scientists hope to use what they learn to improve robot software, and they are even dreaming--dreaming, we should emphasize--of a team of robot soccer players that could someday compete against humans.

NPR: Building a Better Soccer-Playing Robot Dog

D. in computer science and put in 19 years at IBM developing an important robot software language.

FORBES: Robo-docs

The software for the EV3, which is based on the same National Instruments LabView software used for industrial robot applications, has been upgraded.

FORBES: LEGO Unveils Its Next Generation Robot

The software is intuitive, so the robot can describe a perfect circle, say, if the operator shows it just a few points.

ECONOMIST: Robots: Nothing to lose but their chains | The

Forbes is turning to robot journalists, employing new software that mines data of various sorts and turns it into electronic approximations of the scribbler's art.

WSJ: We Can All Have a Slice of Pi | Postmodern Times by Eric Felten

Essentially a robotic invention kit, Mindstorms comes complete with a programmable CPU, motors, primitive inter-robot networking, sensors and a software development suite.

FORBES: Primary colors

Rather than offering a readymade robot like Nao that largely makes software the focus of user customization, cSpring is designed to be highly customizable (and open source) on both the hardware and software fronts.

ENGADGET: Insert Coin semifinalist: cSpring bipedal robot platform hands-on (video)

The software that powers the robots, known as the Robot Operating System, or ROS, is more common.

FORBES: Personal Robot For Sale. Needs Some Training. $400,000 To Good Home [Video].