![]() ![]() They are invented systems that provide rules and axioms, mechanisms that allow to do things, just as well as physical machines*. natural deduction) are theoretical machines. Traditional sewing machines (non electrically powered), boilers, combustion motors, windmills or automatized machines like washing machine or industrial robots, etc., are physical machines*.Ībstract machines (lambda-calculus, Turing's machine, regular expressions, etc.), programming languages, or some theoretical systems in some formal sciences (e.g. Some examples: the nervous system, the water cycle, even the financial system (which is not that "natural", but it still is pretty much a self-organizing system), or the way ants find the shortest route up to some resources, are natural systems*. Machines can be physical*, or theoretical. I would almost say that in a regard, a machine is a prescriptive system, while others are descriptive systems, since our knowledge about the latter as systems only comes from what we can detect and describe about the actual phenomena, while the behaviors of the former are (or should be almost) completely ruled by some inventors. It's very general, and ontologically, I would oppose it as natural systems* ("natural" in the common sense). One can trigger some actions, toggling states, by interacting with the machine, using it's mechanisms (well, the interfaces to its mechanisms actually, but whatever). Nowadays, a machine is an invented system (by humans, as far as I know), with an intended behavior (more or less definite, with various degrees of freedom), given by a set of mechanisms that determine some actions (changeovers between states). Robots are specific types of automata, automata are specific types of machines (which are a specific types of systems). In short, I would say that there is a very strict hierarchical order between the three terms. So, your description is correct: there is much overlap between the words, so much so that they can often be used interchangeably.Įven though it has been greatly responded, it's a very interesting question to me and I would like to bring some few more elements. Usually, emphasis is on something mechanical, although, like automaton, this word is applied to more abstract machines as well. The emphasis is, once built, the automaton can keep doing what it's supposed to be doing without further intervention.Ī machine is something mechanical that makes some task easier (e.g., a sewing machine, a washing machine). Some dictionaries describe automata as a synonym for robot, but the term is also used in a more abstract sense in a branch of mathematics. In science fiction, robots often take on humanlike qualities, but robots can in fact be much simpler than that (e.g., a vacuuming robot).Īn automaton is something that performs some task in accordance with some preset instructions. Send us feedback about these examples.This is going to be a tricky question to answer, because all three words can be used in a wide range of contexts.Ī robot is something mechanical that does something useful. ![]() These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'automaton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. John Horgan, Scientific American, 16 June 2021 Upgrade points unlock fighting combos and improve your automaton. Alex Jung, Vulture, 7 July 2021 Like the incompleteness theorem of Gödel, and like the Game of Life, a cellular automaton invented by mathematician John Conway, Penrose tiles suggest that even a universe based on simple rules can generate infinite, unpredictable complexity. 2021 Blitz, a Parisian automaton from 1850 and a family heirloom. Journe x Francis Ford Coppola, FFC Blue, a wristwatch that tells time via an automaton in the shape of a blue hand. 2021 This year’s most striking example is the F.P. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2022 In the late 1960s, the English mathematician John Conway began experimenting with a strange form of computer known as a cellular automaton. Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Sep. ![]() 2021 The hotel's resident automaton, MOBI, greets guests, escorts them to their rooms, and even delivers small amenities from a stowage compartment in its belly, providing service with a (digital) smile. 2023 Every parent has at times felt like an automaton. Recent Examples on the Web The Voyager Skeleton is by comparison, monochromatic and less theatrical-there are no automatons or chimes. ![]()
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