Android (robot)
Humanoid robot or artificial being, often flesh-like.
An android is a humanoid robot or artificial being, typically constructed from materials that resemble flesh. For most of history, androids were confined to science fiction, appearing frequently in films and television, but modern robotics has made it possible to build similar machines in reality.
The word "android" first appeared in print as "Androides" in Ephraim Chambers' 1728 *Cyclopaedia*, describing an automaton allegedly created by St. Albertus Magnus. By the late 1700s, elaborate mechanical humanoids called "androides" were exhibited in halls. The term entered U.S. patents in 1863 for miniature human-like toy automatons. French author Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam used "android" in a modern sense in his 1886 novel *Tomorrow's Eve*, featuring an artificial humanoid named Hadaly. It gained traction in English pulp science fiction with Jack Williamson's *The Cometeers* (1936), and the distinction between mechanical robots and fleshy androids was popularized by Edmond Hamilton's *Captain Future* stories (1940–1944). Although Karel Čapek's 1921 play *R.U.R.* introduced the word "robot" for organic artificial humans, "robot" now generally refers to mechanical beings. "Android" can cover either type, while a cyborg is a mix of organic and mechanical parts. The term "droid," popularized by George Lucas in *Star Wars*, is an abbreviation of "android" but now applies to any robot, even non-humanoid ones like R2-D2. "Android" appeared in the *Star Trek* episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" The pejorative abbreviation "andy" was coined by Philip K. Dick in *Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?* and later used in the TV series *Total Recall 2070*. A female-looking android is sometimes called a gynoid. Robots without reference to gender can be called anthrobots or anthropoids, though "humanoid" is already used for organic species in science fiction.
Authors have used "android" more flexibly than "robot" or "cyborg." In some stories, the difference is only skin-deep, with androids having human-like exteriors but mechanical insides. In others, androids are wholly organic yet artificial creations. Eric G. Wilson defines an android as a "synthetic human being" and identifies three types based on composition: the mummy type (made from dead or stiff natural materials, like mummies or statues), the golem type (made from flexible, possibly organic material, like g
- field
- Robotics, Science Fiction
- known_for
- Humanoid robots that mimic human appearance and behavior
- first_android
- WABOT-1 (1972, Waseda University)
- notable_projects
- Actroid, DER2, WD-2, Nadine, EDGAR, EveR-1
Lore & Background
The Oxford English Dictionary traces the earliest use of 'Androides' to Ephraim Chambers' 1728 Cyclopaedia, referencing an automaton allegedly created by St. Albertus Magnus. By the late 1700s, elaborate mechanical devices resembling humans were displayed in exhibit halls. The term appeared in US patents as early as 1863 for miniature human-like toy automatons. French author Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam used 'android' in a modern sense in his 1886 work Tomorrow's Eve, featuring an artificial humanoid robot named Hadaly. The term entered English pulp science fiction with Jack Williamson's The Cometeers (1936), and the distinction between mechanical robots and fleshy androids was popularized by Edmond Hamilton's Captain Future stories (1940–1944).
Reader's Guide
Android development has been led by Japanese robotics since the 1970s. Waseda University's WABOT project produced the first full-scale humanoid intelligent robot, WABOT-1, in 1972, capable of walking, gripping objects, measuring distances, and conversing in Japanese. Subsequent projects include WABOT-2 (1984), which could play the organ, and Honda's humanoid research program starting in 1986. The Actroid was demonstrated at Expo 2005, and the DER2 android (2006) featured 47 mobile points and fluid movement via an air servosystem. The WD-2 shape-shifting robot can change its facial features using an elastic mask and 56 degrees of freedom. In Singapore, Nadine is a social robot powered by software similar to Apple's Siri, while EDGAR enables tele-presence with real-time facial expression mimicry. South Korea's KITECH developed EveR-1, an android capable of emulating human emotional expression. These projects reflect a historical fascination with simulacra and automata, though human morphology is not necessarily the ideal form for working robots.
Did You Know?
- The term 'android' was used in US patents as early as 1863 for miniature human-like toy automatons.
- The word 'droid' originated as an abridgment of 'android' and was popularized by George Lucas in Star Wars.
- The WABOT-1, completed in 1972, was the first full-scale humanoid intelligent robot.
- The WD-2 robot can change its facial features by activating 17 facial points, each with three degrees of freedom.
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