Difference between revisions of "Android"
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===Summary=== | ===Summary=== | ||
| − | + | Android is a word used to describe a machine that is 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=== | ===Definition=== | ||
| − | From Greek andro- "human" + eides "form, shape." | + | 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.<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=android Etymology Online Dictionary - Entry on Android]</ref> |
| − | + | The first use of the word Android is difficult to trace, but the first suggested use traces the term back to Jack Williamson's The Cometeers from 1936.<ref>Williamson, Jack. The Cometeers. Astounding Science Fiction. Dell Magazines, May 1936.</ref></ref>Clute, John and Peter Nicholls. Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction. St. Martin's Press, 1995.</ref> 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".<ref>[http://www.catb.org/~esr/sf-words/glossary.html An SF Glossary]</ref> | |
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| − | The first use of the word Android | + | |
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 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.). | ||
| − | + | In some cases Androids in film have been a constructed as minority figures whose main concern is to pass as human or understand the human subject. Examples of these subjects include Star Trek's Data and Blade Runner's replicants.<ref>Short, Sue. Cyborg Cinema and Contemporary Subjectivity. Faculty of Continuing Education Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. Palgrave Macmillan 2005.</ref> | |
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===Related Reading=== | ===Related Reading=== | ||
Revision as of 15:08, 3 July 2011
Summary
Android is a word used to describe a machine that is 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 is difficult to trace, but the first suggested use traces the term back to Jack Williamson's The Cometeers from 1936.[2]</ref>Clute, John and Peter Nicholls. Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction. St. Martin's Press, 1995.</ref> 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".[3]
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.).
In some cases Androids in film have been a constructed as minority figures whose main concern is to pass as human or understand the human subject. Examples of these subjects include Star Trek's Data and Blade Runner's replicants.[4]
Related Reading
References
- ↑ Etymology Online Dictionary - Entry on Android
- ↑ Williamson, Jack. The Cometeers. Astounding Science Fiction. Dell Magazines, May 1936.
- ↑ An SF Glossary
- ↑ Short, Sue. Cyborg Cinema and Contemporary Subjectivity. Faculty of Continuing Education Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. Palgrave Macmillan 2005.
