Robot A robot — also called an automaton by at least the Tenth Doctor ( PROSE : " The Last Dodo " ) — was a mechanical device with the ability to do work without the help of a living organism . One type of robot was an android ( a humanoid robot , such as Kamelion , who could also shape - shift ) . ( TV : " The King ' s Demons " ) Robots also came in other forms , such as dog - like ( e . g . K9 ) . ( TV : " The Invisible Enemy " ) On many planet s , robots were used as a servile labour force . One known use was law enforcement on Earth in 2050 . ( TV : " Regeneration " , " Mutant Copper " ) Their appearance sometimes generated strong emotions in people , a condition known as Robophobia or Grimwade ' s Syndrome . ( TV : " The Robots of Death " ) They were powered in many different ways , such as by black light . ( TV : " Four to Doomsday " ) Although robots were programmed with several hundred safety protocols inhibiting violence , a skilled mechanic , such as Taren Capel , could bypass these , allowing the robot to wreak havoc . ( TV : " The Robots of Death " ) Although robots were mainly used for manual labour , they were occasionally used for military purposes by a wide variety of species . ( PROSE : " The Dust of Ages " , AUDIO : " Davros " , TV : " The Parting of the Ways " , " Dreamland " , " The Beast Below " , " The Vault of Secrets " , " The Caretaker " ) The most perfected of these killing machines was the Raston Warrior Robot . ( TV : " The Five Doctors " ) The Fourth Doctor maintained that they were " programmed to help people , not hurt them " , but accepted such protocols could be overridden . ( TV : " The Robots of Death " ) Smiler s were robots aboard the " Starship UK " that taught children and also enforced the law on the ship . ( TV : " The Beast Below " ) Etymology . According to the Eleventh Doctor , the word was Czech . It was invented in 1920 by Karel Capek . It literally meant " forced labour " . ( COMIC : " The Broken Man " ) According to the Second Doctor , " robot " was derived from the Czech word for " worker " . ( PROSE : " Fallen Angel " ) History . Robots existed throughout the universe in many times , for many purposes . On Earth , humans used robots for work , and also for assistance and company . ( TV : " The Robots of Death " ) They were used in similar ways by the people of Sto ; aboard the Starship " Titanic " , robots were dressed as Christmas angels and used for information . ( TV : " Voyage of the Damned " ) By the year 2059 , humans were allowed domestic robots . They were also allowed to customise them . Roman Groom claimed that a friend had made her domestic robot look like a dog . ( TV : " The Waters of Mars " ) Roman Groom adapted a robot called Gadget out of the giant worker drones that built Bowie Base One . ( TV : " The Waters of Mars " ) In the 51st century , Professor Frederick Marius missed his dog , so he built a computer in the form of a dog , called K9 . ( TV : " The Invisible Enemy " ) K9 travelled with the Fourth Doctor and Leela , then left the Doctor to stay with Leela on Gallifrey . ( TV : " The Invasion of Time " ) K9 Mark I ended up on 2050 Earth some time before the destruction of Gallifrey , where he helped save the world more than once . The Doctor later built K9 Mark II and travelled with him until the robot left with Romana II . ( TV : " Warriors ' Gate " ) K9 Mark III was also built by the Doctor and given to Sarah - Jane Smith . ( TV : " K9 and Company " ) Sarah Jane kept the robot dog throughout the 80s , 90s and up until 2007 , when he sacrificed himself to stop the Krillitane s . The Doctor built K9 Mark IV soon after for Sarah Jane . ( TV : " School Reunion " ) K9 Mark IV helped Sarah Jane seal a black hole ( TV : " The Mad Woman in the Attic " ) and fight various aliens . He helped restore the Earth to its original time - space location . ( TV : " Journey ' s End " ) Robots were used by organics and cyborg s throughout the history of the universe . On 20th century Earth , a highly advanced robot was used by the National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research in an attempt to conquer the world . ( TV : " Robot " ) The Heavenly Host were ordered by Max Capricorn to kill those aboard the starship " Titanic " . ( TV : " Voyage of the Damned " ) Robots were used on Terminus to sterilise the spacecraft that brought those infected with Lazar ' s Disease . ( TV : " Terminus " ) Cyborgs such as the Cybermen also used robots . ( TV : " Earthshock " ) Emotions and awareness . Several forms of robots seemed to have thoughts and feelings of their own . K9 Mark I showed signs of " sulking " , ( TV : " The Invasion of Time " ) and the later models did similar things . The K1 Robot showed signs of self awareness and a desire to spare Sarah - Jane ' s life . ( TV : " Robot " ) An intelligent and emotional robot invented by Professor Carl Readon went berserk and attacked a city because the professor banished an assistant ' s dog from the laboratory . The robot was placated once the Third Doctor realised that it missed the dog and reunited the two . ( COMIC : " Doctor Who and the Robot " ) Robots also showed signs of confusion when facing things that contradicted facts or programming . Robots tended to show little emotion , care or understanding towards organics , and usually did as they were programmed . They often turned against their masters , but usually because they had been reprogrammed by others to do so , not because of self - awareness . It was evident that robots such as K9 or K1 had awareness , and were not just ordinary machines . Some robots also had their own desires : for example K9 desired affection and K1 desired for Sarah Jane to live . ( TV : " Robot " ) An L3 series robot like Drathro could show no understanding of the meaning of organic life and conceived itself as a superior being . In a dilemma about saving a human community or not , with both possibilities implying its own " death " , it chose to let the humans die . ( TV : " The Mysterious Planet " ) Creators of robots . For every robot , there was a creator , or creators , whether it was humans creating robots , or robots creating other robots . Frederick Marius for example invented K9 Mark I , ( TV : " The Invisible Enemy " ) and the Doctor built K9 Mark II ( TV : " The Invasion of Time " ) and IV . ( TV : " School Reunion " ) The K1 Robot was built by Professor Kettlewell . ( TV : " Robot " ) Morvin Van Hoff and his wife Foon Van Hoff were able to fix robots . They displayed these skills by reactivating a Heavenly Host . Max Capricorn , or somebody associated with him , had the Heavenly Host robots reprogrammed . ( TV : " Voyage of the Damned " ) Taren Capel was capable of reprogramming the Voc robot slaves . ( TV : " The Robots of Death " )