37: Clockwork Droids
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..?
Episodes
Robot or Not?
Jason Snell asks John Siracusa to rule on the meaning of various words and concepts. It’s not just about robots anymore.
Have a question for John? Email robot@theincomparable.com.
Episodes
36: Iron Man, Ultron, and Vision
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
A Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own!
34: Aperture Science
GlaDOS, Wheatley, turrets, cubes, spheres and more.
33: Vicki from "Small Wonder"
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
Cloud City’s majordomo from “The Empire Strikes Back” is in the spotlight.
31: robots.txt
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
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
That little guy from “Short Circuit.”
28: The TARDIS
The blue box from “Doctor Who” might be sentient, might be alive, but is it a robot?
27: V'ger
V’ger and the Ilia probe, both from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”. Also, John complains about fake skin on androids.
26: Cylons
The metal robots (and their fleshy successors) from the old and new “Battlestar Galactica.”
25: Home Appliances
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
The bigfoot/sasquatch from “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
23: Space Probes
From golf carts on Mars to New Horizons flying past Pluto, these are impressive machines, but are they robots?
22: Hitchbot
He tried to hitch his way across the country, but was dismembered in Philadelphia. Image by archier on Flickr.
21: Droids
Are droids robots? Do they have rights? Is the Empire based on a robo-slave economy?
20: Pinocchio
Are we seriously talking about magic here?
19: Marvin the Paranoid Android
Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with!
18: Commander Data
Is an android a robot?
17: The Terminator
I know now why you humans cry.
16: Siri
So-called intelligent agents.
15: The Major
From “Ghost in the Shell,” a human brain in a mechanical body. And what about uploaded brains and bodies?
14: Jaegers
Big robots with people inside, as seen in “Shogun Warriors” and “Pacific Rim.”
13: Transformers
Like the song says.
12: USS Enterprise
The main computer of the USS Enterprise.
11: KITT
The “Knight Rider” car is cool, but is it a robot? What about KITT’s evil twin, KARR? Also, the dark pre-history of Pixar’s “Cars.”
10: ASIMO
Honda’s ASIMO, Sony’s AIBO, and other cute things that can do The Robot dance. Also, our Radio Shack memories.
9: Assembly-Line Robots
Look for the union label.
8: Roomba
Does a self-guided vacuum cleaner cross John’s minimum bar for a robot? And what does that have to do with ants and dogs?