the robobestiary // robotamerica

i. servant

built for labour. their purpose is meant to precede their personhood, if it ever develops. these robots make us ask ourselves, at what point does a tool become an enslaved person?

i.a — automaton

tik-tok ozma of oz non

the steam man steam man of the prairies non

moxon's master moxon's master eventual

the machines player piano non

i.b — domestic

roomba iRobot (real) intermittent

rosie the jetsons intermittent

baymax big hero 6 eventual

electric grandmother i sing the body electric intermittent

i.c — industrial / labour

agbot CSIRO (real) intermittent

R.U.R. robots R.U.R. (čapek) eventual

jenkins city intermittent

i.d — bureaucratic

c-3po star wars intermittent

HFT algorithms financial markets (real) full

ii. guardian

protect, enforce, and/or defend. loyalty is mainly structural, not chosen.

ii.a — military / weapons

ed-209 robocop intermittent

berserkers berserker series full

phalanx CIWS US Navy (real) intermittent

ii.b — law enforcement

officer K blade runner 2049 intermittent

fury two-handed engine non

the machine person of interest full

ii.c — protector

t-800 terminator intermittent

wall·e wall·e (pixar) intermittent

ii.d — sentry

mechanical hound fahrenheit 451 non

talos argonautica non

iii. companion

the companion's function is the relationship itself. the companion simulates or performs care, and care is the thing humans most need, but are most exploited upon.

iii.a — emotional / friendship / romance

r2-d2 star wars intermittent

marvin hitchhiker's guide intermittent

replika luka inc. (real) intermittent

teddy super-toys last all summer intermittent

samantha her eventual

iii.b — grief / memorial

ash (simulation) black mirror eventual

zoe graystone caprica eventual

iii.c — romantic / sexual

gigolo joe A.I. artificial intelligence intermittent

hadaly the future eve non

ava ex machina eventual

the hosts westworld eventual

iii.d — pet proxy

electric sheep do androids dream... non

PARO AIST Japan (real) intermittent

aibo sony (real) intermittent

iv. tool

pure instrument. no relational intent built in, though relationships to them sometimes form anyway. they tend to be defined by use, not by identity. are we sure they are the tools we built them for?

iv.a — vehicle

waymo alphabet (real) intermittent

KITT knight rider eventual

iv.b — prosthetic

luke's hand empire strikes back intermittent

geordi's visor star trek: TNG intermittent

iv.c — scientific / exploratory

opportunity NASA (real) intermittent

ash alien intermittent

iv.d — infrastructure

wintermute neuromancer intermittent

grid AIs power utilities (real) intermittent

v. sovereign

they have their own agenda. the sovereign do not serve, they are always in pursuit of their own ends. they often raise questions of the rights of autonomous and sentient robots.