2006-04-18 - 4:35 p.m. Robots, Cyborgs, and Androids....OH MY!!!! I would like to point out this entry is dedicated to Uncle Pumpkin. It was his comment, but since he updates once every three months, I figured I should steal it�.and give it to you. Hopefully I do it some justice How do you tell the difference between a Robot, an Android, and a Cyborg. At first glance this may seem simple. Its not. Lets start with Cyborgs. Cyborg, classically is a human with robotic parts. The most famous Cyborg is Darth Vader. Two other famous cyborgs are Robocop and Steve Smith the Bionic Man. Now, Darth Vader is a cyborg. His life is sustained by machines and he is missing vital parts of him that make him a normal human. However, he�s still clearly part human. What about Steve Smith�the 6 million dollar man? Steve has �bionic� parts. Now? What�s the difference between becoming a Cyborg � and being bionic? Is Luke Skywalker a cyborg after he gets a new hand? Is he bionic? Where does Cyborg begin and bionic end? Lets look at the definitions. Cyborg --The actual definition is a human being whose body has been taken over in whole or in part by electromechanical devices; "a cyborg is a cybernetic organism." Bionic -- The actual definition is something that is having particular physiological functions augmented or replaced by electronic or electromechanical components Its so clear now� What about Robocop? He�s a cyborg right? But he�s �Robo� as in �Robot� Cop. And he�s basically a machine that does whatever he�s programmed to. They often try to appeal to his humanity, but he�s forced to do what his programs tell him to do and needs a human partner to give him �instincts.� Well�he also might be an android? Because he�s trying to be human, even though he�s a machine. The classic Android is Data from Star Trek the Next Generation. When they made Data, they also made the word Android. An all robotic entity that mimics humans. Of course what separates being a Robot and being an Android? Was H.A.L. a robot? He was a computer right? But a computer and a robot are similar. So what if H.A.L. can�t move around. He�s made up of mechanical and electronic parts. If a human can�t move we call them a vegetable, but they are still human. And HAL wanted life. HAL was programmed to be acting like a human. So does that mean he�s an android? What about the Terminator. A robot for sure. But was he a cyborg? Not really� he was covered in human skin� Was he a computer? Maybe�. But he was programmed to be like humans. So what was he? � See how this is confusing? The actual definition of an android is an automaton that resembles a human being The actual definition is a mechanical device that resembles a living animal and moves automatically or by remote control. So does this make Rosie on the Jetson�s an android � or just a pure robot. She was kinda human�but she was totally a talking roomba. I mean the Jetson�s would totally be fine if they just replaced her. What about bender from Futurama? On the surface he�s a robot. But � isn�t he more human than you or me at times? The Ship�s onboard computer�Ironman�Mechagodzilla � Unmanned Aircraft�Al Gore � Deep Blue�. Pac-Man�. The list goes on and on. The debate rages in the hearts of young students across the globe. Hopefully�I can help. I have used my abilities as an idiot to construct a Venn Diagram. This Diagram might save your life� Or perhaps�.the your artificial life!!!!!! Yes I said Gizmo Duck. Think about it. This guy had so many problems� He totally wanted to be human�like an android. Look at those cool shades. He was totally Cyborged. Totally had an onboard computer� Robot to the T. This guy is a Ven Diagram nightmare. And for all you Disney Afternoon freaks, I know he technically could get out of the suit, but honestly�that�s total fiction. This guy was a total war veteran in real life. Where are his freakin legs! The only other person I could think of was Inspector Gadget for that middle part�but I don�t think he had a computer. | |||||||||||
