Android
Summary
Androids are machines that are designed to look like a human. Rather than taking other qualities, such as intelligence or love, as the central feature of humanity, androids are mechanic creations that attempt to look as human as possible.
Definition
From Greek andro- "human" + eides "form, shape."
An android is an artificial machine with physically human features. The term was popularized in 1951 by science fiction writers.[1]
The first use of the word Android in Science Fiction is unknown, but "Clute and Nicholls' Encylopedia of Science Fiction traces the first modern use to Jack Williamson's The Cometeers (1936, book version 1950). The distinction between mechanical robots and organic androids was popularized by Edmond Hamilton in his Captain Future series a few years later, and had become a feature of mainstream press discussion of SF by 1958".[2]
Androids try to explicitly emulate the physical human form in robotics. This is a promising lead in establishing more intimate connections with robots, but not the only avenue. For example, Watson, the AI that won jeopardy, looks nothing like a human but still bears strong relations to humanity, namely synthesized speech. Androids are based on the premise that "human-ness" is in part physical resemblance and tries to emulate the human form, rather than taking other human qualities (intelligence, emotions, humor, etc.).
Androids in Contemporary Cyborg Cinema
"Both Star Trek's Data and Blade Runner's replicants have been interpreted as minority figures whose attempts to pass as human can be affiliated with concerns of nationalism, race and the idea of purity".[3]
"Schelde's Androids, Humanoids and Other Science Fiction Monsters (1993) adopts the intriguing method of viewing SF films as a modern version of folklore, with technology substituted for magic and Capitalist corporations serving as the giants that must be fought".[4]
Related Reading
References
- ↑ Etymology Online Dictionary - Entry on Android
- ↑ An SF Glossary
- ↑ Short, Sue. Cyborg Cinema and Contemporary Subjectivity. Faculty of Continuing Education Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. Palgrave Macmillan 2005.
- ↑ Ibid, 26
