automaton

n. robot; self-acting machine; person who behaves mechanically

This article is about a self-operating machine. For other uses of Automaton, see Automaton (disambiguation) or Automata (disambiguation). An automaton (plural: automata) is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. Used colloquially, it refers to a mindless follower.
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Noun
1. someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way; "only an automaton wouldn't have noticed"
(synonym) zombi, zombie
(hypernym) anomaly, unusual person
(derivation) automatize, automatise
2. a mechanism that can move automatically
(synonym) robot, golem
(hypernym) mechanism
(hyponym) android, humanoid, mechanical man
(derivation) automatize, automatise

(v. i.)
Any thing or being regarded as having the power of spontaneous motion or action.
  

(v. i.)
A self-moving machine, or one which has its motive power within itself; -- applied chiefly to machines which appear to imitate spontaneously the motions of living beings, such as men, birds, etc.
  

<robotics, mathematics, algorithm> (Plural automata) A machine, robot, or formal system designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions.
Automata theory, the invention and study of automata, includes the study of the capabilities and limitations of computing processes, the manner in which systems receive input, process it, and produce output, and the relationships between behavioural theories and the operation and use of automated devices.
See also cellular automaton, finite state machine.
(1996-04-23)