A Dishwasher Is Not a Robot, and 'Robot' Is a Social Construct
"Robot" Is a Social Construct: Why Your Dishwasher Is Not a Robot
A robotics engineer argues that 'robot' is not a technical category but a social construct born in Karel Čapek's 1920 play. We apply the label to machines that make us uneasy about ourselves—not to automated devices like dishwashers. The meaning has shifted from assembly-line arms to Roombas to humanoids, tracking our fears and fascinations, not functionality.
In short, a machine is a robot when it makes us sit with uncomfortable truths about ourselves. And my dishwasher does not force me to examine my own existential purpose. QED. Not a robot.
- michaelt
I once had a robotics professor who argued any definition of 'robot' broad enough to include roombas and self-driving cars and industrial robot arms (even if made narrow enough to exclude remote-control toy cars, cars with cruise control, CNC mills and washing machines) would inevitably define cruise missiles as robots. Meaning the world had 'killer robots' before we had digital computers.
Instead, he argued the definition of a robot is "I know it when I see it"
- mauvehaus
A food processor and stand mixer are robots in French[0]. I suppose this rather supports the claim that "robot" is a social construct as different societies have constructed it differently. N.b. I haven't taken a French class in almost 30 years. Please excuse any nuances in the French use of "robot" in this context that I may have missed.
ETA: I almost forgot! Our nearby hardware store has a robot that sharpens kitchen knives. It's much less impressive than that sounds, both in appearance and how well it actually sharpens a knife. Nevertheless, I did note to the person operating it that if the robot uprising comes, we may regret the choice to simply give the robots knives.
- vincnetas
Robot etymology is from Czech robota, robotník, robotiti. To work, worker, to do work. I especially like "road works" signs in Poland saying "uwaga roboty drogowe" and translate/visualise it in my mind like "Danger robots on the road"
- bartvk
I strongly advise the podcast "Robot Or Not". The hosts have very strong opinions on what exactly constitutes a robot, and readers write in with edge cases. It's been going on for a long time, so nowadays they also categorize other things.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/robot-or-not/id9979302...
https://open.spotify.com/show/4M2AELzmQy77FxaYZMl6e9
https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/robot-or-not/b911efc0-e2f6-0...
- AnonymousPlanet
But your ordinary traffic light might be called a "robot" by social norm. At least if you live in South Africa.