Yes, the laws of physics are present. The real question is, are you going to have to worry about them when you're designing the robot?
The answer to that question is... it depends. A lot. You might need no physics at all, or you might need a lot of physics. We need more information to be able to help you.
What sort of background are you coming from? (middle school, high school, undergrad degree,... ?)
What type of robot do you want to build?
Why are you building it?