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"It wasn't until I was past forty that it bacame clear that I was going to be quote, successful, unquote."
- Isaac Asimov

Bot  
  The first use of this contraction for "robot".  

As far as I know, this is the first use in science fiction for this very common contraction.

You see, sir, i was killed a lot deader than you were, my whole body was destroyed, when they got my ship the only part of me that the ’bots were able to get into cold-sleep was my head, shoulders and a part of my spine...
Technovelgy from We All Died At Breakaway Station, by Richard Meredith.
Published by Amazing Stories in 1969
Additional resources -

Compare to the first use of the word robot from R.U.R. (1920) by Karel Capek.

Hard to believe, but this familiar contraction was so new that in 1977, Gregory Benford felt he needed to explain it in his story Homemaker:

‘What's your name, little bot?’

The robot squats mutely.

Bot?’ Gerald asks. ‘

Slang for robot. You ask him.’

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from We All Died At Breakaway Station
  More Ideas and Technology by Richard Meredith
  Tech news articles related to We All Died At Breakaway Station
  Tech news articles related to works by Richard Meredith

Bot-related news articles:
  - The Future Of Elon Musk's Neuralink

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Finally, Robot Conductors On Autonomous Buses
RoboShiko! Sumo Exercises Still Good For Robots
Giant Robotic Hands At Gundam Next Future Science
Robots Need A Better Sense Of Touch

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Science Fiction in the News

Finally, Robot Conductors On Autonomous Buses
'Wardour Street,' he told the robot-conductor.'

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'... the expressionless face before me was therefore that of the golem-wrestler, Rolem, a creature that could be set for five times the strength of a human being.'

Giant Robotic Hands At Gundam Next Future Science
'Waldo put his arms into the primary pair before him; all three pairs, including the secondary pair mounted before the machine, came to life.'

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'... the glittering little rocket bolted to the black iron behind him.'

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'Fire is bright and fire is clean.'

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'First, it rubbed my arms...'

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'The operation that had transformed half his body... had located the control switchboard in his teeth.'

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Dance, Robots, Dance.

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