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Robot

Vec 1
Image from Juan Ochoa

A programmable hardware or software device, agent, or expert system, either non- sub-turing, or dedicated turingrade, that follows certain instructions in order to perform tasks autonomously. A physical (hardware) robot mechanical manipulators and sensors. A robot may perform a physical task normally done by a biont, often with greater speed, strength, efficiency, and precision. Although vecs are sometimes also called robots (because of similarity of appearance), robots differ from vecs in that they are less cognitively flexible, and lack or have only limited initiative. Most vecs would respond to being called "robot" the way most sophont bionts would respond to being called "animal".

The term "robot" was introduced by the Industrial Age fabulist Karel Čapek. The word means "work" or "drudgery" in Old Earth Slovak or Czech.
 
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Appears in Topics
Drytech/HylotechEverydaytechMiddle Tech / Midtech
 
Development Notes
Text by M. Alan Kazlev; some additional material by Stephen Inniss
Initially published on 22 December 2001.

 
 
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