How Do You Actually Talk to a Robot?

Imagine you're talking to a robot, like how you might talk to your friend. You say something, and the robot listens, just like your friend does. But instead of understanding your words by thinking about them in their head like you do, the robot uses special tools called microphones to catch the sound of your voice. Then, it changes that sound into a message its brain can understand, kind of like translating one language into another. Once it gets what you said, it can reply back using its own special voice or actions.