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"[Science fiction] has become big business, where books are merchandised and promoted and distributed and placed on sale like slabs of bacon or cans of soup."
- Frederik Pohl

Charging Arm  
  A specialized device allowing a robot to charge itself.  

This is a very early example of the idea of a robot that can charge itself.

The man whistled. A small one-purpose robot of the Martian type, with wheels instead of legs, rolled in.


('Masters of Chance' by William Morrison)

“A drink for me and my pal,” the man ordered. The robot brought in the drinks, and that reminded BrR-19. Seeing an energy outlet in one of the walls, he thrust in his charging arm to replenish his store of energy.

Technovelgy from Masters of Chance, by William Morrison.
Published by Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1941
Additional resources -

Compare to the self-charging robot from Callahan and the Wheelies (1960) by Stephen Barr.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Masters of Chance
  More Ideas and Technology by William Morrison
  Tech news articles related to Masters of Chance
  Tech news articles related to works by William Morrison

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Mika The Robot-Boss
Sensitive, Soft Robot Skin
Finger Sensors For Robot Hands
A Vacuum With An Arm - Engineers Create Heinlein's Hired Girl Robot

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