Another area that is robot-like is the indexing of the Web by software known as spiders, Web crawlers, ants, or robots. Technically, they are NOT robots but software that request files from Web sites and then catalog the results. All of the metasites and search engines that people use are based on this technology. The study indicates that the HotBot search engine has the most comprehensive index of the Web, but even so, covers only about 34 percent of the indexable pages.
Robots are physical and represent a step up from simple automation.
Robots can vary widely in their level of intelligence. The simplest robots are unintelligent and depend on simple environments and precise placement of work. More intelligent robots are able to deal successfully with complex environments and can tolerate imprecision. Artificial life studies the rules governing complex systems. One strategy is to become more knowlegeable about Web searching.