What was once a fictional character today takes the form of an electronic device. The android, robot and cyborg were in their beginnings inspiration for captivating science fiction movies. Today these intelligent machines are a reality and in many places they mix with humans as a new type of society. Few know the differences between an android, a robot and a cyborg, but when contemplating their integration into humanity these are aspects that we must know.
Although in many ways the human essence is an extraordinary and hitherto irreplaceable way of life, nature gave us a very particular curiosity. Since ancient times, human beings have pushed the limits of exploration and experimentation to places (and things) that we would never have imagined possible.
Now we are able to discover the colors of the universe, the composition of the planets, we explore the uncertain depths of the oceans and create robotic people. Human machines engineered from technology were once an idea that lingered in movie stories, but today they are a reality.
Robots or robot people were born from the idea of simplifying human activities. How can we do more with less? The immediate response was technology and, very specifically, robots.
What is a robot?
A robot is a programmable machine, capable of performing operations previously thought to be unique to humans. For example, a robot can pour water into a glass or pick up objects from the ground.
The term «robot» as such was born in the 20s and was thanks to the science fiction work RUR Rossum Universal Robots, the word is said to have first appeared there and comes from the Czech word “robota”, which means “work”.
In essence, the robot was born as a support machine for various human activities. But quickly, before robots became too famous, Isaac Asimov determined the three laws of robotics, which consist of identifying the rules that robots follow in their universe (speaking from literature, of course).
What is an android?
Once the role of the robot in humanity was determined, soon human beings would seek to improve the contribution of technology in human life. This search brought with it the android, which according to the RAE is defined as a «man-figure automaton».
In some way, the android is a technological construction that not only performs human activities, but is capable of imitating human behavior and even looks almost the same as a human, at least on the outside.
science museum
Movies like I robot androids are introduced as “Sonny”, but if we look for something more human looking then we find some androids mixed in the society. There are Otonaroid and Komoroid, androids living in Tokyo who physically look like a person. For now these androids are on display at the National Museum of Emerging Sciences and Innovation in Tokyo and are far from coexisting with human beings. However, there is another android that does blend perfectly with society.
Alex Cruz is an android designed to live on social networks and interact with all those who, beyond the robotic physicist, are interested in knowing the behavior of an android.
What is a cyborg?
Finally, there are the cyborgs. In the definition given by the scientists Manfred E. ClyneS and Nathan S. Kline, the cyborg is a mixture between cyber Y organism. That is to say, that the cyborg is a mechanism that does not depend 100% on technology, in origin it is a human body that is transformed with the help of external elements. The example that best illustrates a cyborg is Robocop, a human being who complements himself with technology to become a public servant.
Usually, There may be differences between the robot, the android and the cyborg, but they are all machines that reflect the ambitions and desires of the human being.. Sometimes we wish to be indestructible, more efficient, and morally incorruptible. Technology becomes the ideal tool to fix everything that bothers us about our own nature, but how much can we improve ourselves? Or will we lose ourselves trying?
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