Can we build molecular-scale devices that are justly called robots? A macroscopic robot has a large source of deterministic computational power that it uses to process the information from its sensors and guide its actuators. At the molecular scale there seems to be little computation available, while sensing and actuation are directly linked. Yet nature’s molecular “motors” and “machines” in cells are responsible for maintaining life processes. To begin answering the question, we can take a synthetic approach, inspired by both the macroscopic robotics analogues and the biological analogues. I will review my involvement in the development of DNA-based computational circuits and walkers. I will also touch on the role of programming languages in this enterprise.