Robot or Not?

41: Burritos 18.01.2016 1:06 ↓

This one seems to have gotten in by mistake.

40: Swimming Pool Cleaners 11.01.2016 3:28 ↓

Things that clean your swimming pool: are they Roombas or just dumb hoses? Also, if a toaster can’t be a robot, can a robot be a toaster?

39: Cars (from "Cars") 04.01.2016 1:42 ↓

If the cars in Pixar’s “Cars” movies aren’t cars, what are they, and where did they come from?

38: Podcasts 28.12.2015 0:53 ↓

Just in time for the holidays, some existential questions. Also, could a robot be on a podcast?

37: Clockwork Droids 21.12.2015 3:28 ↓

Doctor Who’s clockwork repair droids (from the episodes “Girl in the Fireplace” and “Deep Breath”) come under scrutiny. Sure, they start out as robots, but do they become something else..?

36: Iron Man, Ultron, and Vision 14.12.2015 4:55 ↓

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and specifically “Iron Man 3” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” deep robot-or-not questions about Iron Man’s suits, Ultron, and the Vision.

35: Herbie The Love Bug 07.12.2015 2:50 ↓

A Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own!

34: Aperture Science 30.11.2015 4:23 ↓

GlaDOS, Wheatley, turrets, cubes, spheres and more.

33: Vicki from "Small Wonder" 23.11.2015 2:30 ↓

She’s a small wonder, pretty and bright with soft curls. She’s a small wonder, a girl unlike other girls. She’s a miracle, and I grant you She’ll enchant you at her sight. She’s a small wonder, and she’ll make your heart take flight. She’s fantastic, made of plastic. Microchips here and there. She’s a small wonder, brings love and laughter everywhere.

32: Lobot 16.11.2015 1:01 ↓

Cloud City’s majordomo from “The Empire Strikes Back” is in the spotlight.

31: robots.txt 09.11.2015 1:58 ↓

It’s right there in the name, but what about the things that connect to it? And what about when Merlin talks about putting things “in the robot”? We need answers, John!

30: Twiki and Dr. Theopolis 02.11.2015 6:11 ↓

We take you back to the days of “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” to debate the show’s two artificial sidekicks.

29: Johnny 5 26.10.2015 1:47 ↓

That little guy from “Short Circuit.”

28: The TARDIS 19.10.2015 4:43 ↓

The blue box from “Doctor Who” might be sentient, might be alive, but is it a robot?

27: V'ger 12.10.2015 9:34 ↓

V’ger and the Ilia probe, both from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”. Also, John complains about fake skin on androids.

26: Cylons 05.10.2015 9:59 ↓

The metal robots (and their fleshy successors) from the old and new “Battlestar Galactica.”

25: Home Appliances 28.09.2015 3:58 ↓

What would a toaster have to do in order to be a robot? This episode introduces Siracusa’s Law, which somehow involves kitchen countertops.

24: Sasquatch 21.09.2015 6:25 ↓

The bigfoot/sasquatch from “The Six Million Dollar Man.”

23: Space Probes 14.09.2015 3:13 ↓

From golf carts on Mars to New Horizons flying past Pluto, these are impressive machines, but are they robots?

22: Hitchbot 07.09.2015 1:54 ↓

He tried to hitch his way across the country, but was dismembered in Philadelphia. Image by archier on Flickr.

21: Droids 31.08.2015 6:15 ↓

Are droids robots? Do they have rights? Is the Empire based on a robo-slave economy?

20: Pinocchio 24.08.2015 4:51 ↓

Are we seriously talking about magic here?

19: Marvin the Paranoid Android 17.08.2015 2:24 ↓

Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with!

18: Commander Data 11.08.2015 6:00 ↓

Is an android a robot?

17: The Terminator 03.08.2015 3:18 ↓

I know now why you humans cry.