Robots Options

Do robots fall into the cateogory of artificial entities?

Dictionary definitions of an entity:

1. Something that exists as a particular and discrete unit: Persons and corporations are equivalent entities under the law.
2. The fact of existence; being.
3. The existence of something considered apart from its properties.

I personally am open to the idea that robots are entities, but i dont think they are, because i think entities (we would be looking at definition number 2) are beings that have some type of will, or thought process, whereas robots are programmed to do something either repeatedly or after sometihng triggers it. They are programmed and not really alive.

I guess when most modern mystics look at a robot they tend to compare it to their toaster oven. But if you look at it another way they're made of elements found in the earth. I would agree that robots today are pretty primative, but it's suprising how much they've evolve and how much they're accepted by science. I also find the concept of emergence pretty interesting in how it defines a consciousness. My guess is robots will probably be self-aware in the next 50 or so years.

Here's a interesting video showing some demostration.

http://www.etek.chalmers.se/~almir/