
Robot Combat League: SyFy reality show features half-ton robots boxing. - evo_9
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/11/21/robot_combat_league_syfy_reality_show_features_half_ton_robots_boxing.html
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lutusp
Strictly speaking, they aren't robots (autonomous machines), they're remote-
controlled telepresence devices fully under the moment-to-moment control of
their handlers. Just for accuracy.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot#Defining_characteristics>

A quote: "For robotic engineers, the physical appearance of a machine is less
important than the way its actions are controlled. The more the control system
seems to have agency of its own, the more likely the machine is to be called a
robot. An important feature of agency is the ability to make choices."

In this case, "robot" is a convenient, accessible term, but it's not accurate.

