Glossary

The entities that form the foundation of Machine Census.

Robot

A physically embodied machine that senses its environment, determines an action through software, control logic, an operator, or a combination of these, and acts in the physical world to perform a defined task.

Maker

An organization or team responsible for developing a robot. A maker may be a company, business unit, research lab, nonprofit, open-source project, or independent team.

Supplier

An organization or team offering a product used to build, operate, or improve robots, with robotics as an explicit target market or use case.

Environment

The operating setting for which a robot is designed or in which it has been demonstrated, such as a factory, warehouse, home, hospital, farm, public road, air, water, or hazardous site.

Human interaction

How a robot relates to people while operating, from isolated operation in a workspace separated from people, through collaborative operation designed to share a workspace or coordinate physical work with them, to assistive, passenger-carrying, and public-facing operation.

The physical forms most often used to describe a robot. A robot can belong to more than one embodiment type.

Manipulator

A robot arm or other mechanism for interacting with objects. A stationary manipulator is attached to a fixed base or workcell; a mobile manipulator combines one or more arms with a mobile base.

Humanoid

A robot whose body plan is substantially modeled on the human form, typically with a torso, head, arms, and two legs. Human-like appearance alone is not sufficient.

Quadruped

A robot that walks on four articulated legs. Quadrupeds and humanoids are both legged robots, distinguished by body plan rather than by how they move.

Autonomous mobile robot (AMR)

A wheeled mobile platform that moves goods or equipment through a shared workspace, navigating and replanning around obstacles on its own. An automated guided vehicle (AGV) is the older relative that follows a fixed path set by wire, magnetic tape, or floor markers. Legged robots that navigate the same way are recorded by their own body plan instead.

Drone

An uncrewed aerial vehicle that flies either remotely piloted or under its own control. The word is also applied loosely to uncrewed ground and underwater vehicles.

Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)

An uncrewed vehicle that operates below the surface without a physical link to an operator, running a mission on its own. Its tethered counterpart, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), is flown by a pilot through an umbilical cable, because radio does not carry underwater.

Task terms whose meaning in the census is narrower than everyday usage.

Manipulation

Grasping, moving, assembling, sorting, or otherwise physically changing objects.

General-purpose work

Substantially different physical tasks performed by the same robot without rebuilding it for each task. The label requires demonstrated breadth, not a general-purpose marketing claim.

How actions are selected and executed.

Teleoperated

A remote operator directs the robot while onboard software may handle functions such as stabilization, collision avoidance, or motion assistance.

Supervised autonomy

The robot executes a task on its own while a person monitors progress and can intervene.

Conditional autonomy

The robot operates independently under defined conditions but requires a handoff, intervention, or safe stop when those conditions are not met.

High autonomy

The robot completes assigned tasks with minimal real-time supervision within a defined operating environment.

The highest stage supported by available evidence, not by announcements or marketing language.

Research

A working physical research platform exists.

Prototype

A physical robot has demonstrated a relevant task.

Pilot

The robot has been tested by an external customer or partner in a real operating environment.

Commercial

The robot is available to buy, lease, or contract.

Deployed

The robot is used repeatedly in live operations.

Statuses that communicate what the available sources do and do not support.

Verified

Directly supported by identified, available evidence.

Unverified

Stated by a source or submitter, but not sufficiently substantiated by the available evidence.

Not publicly available

No reliable public value or supporting information was found.

Estimated

Derived from identified evidence rather than directly published, and explicitly labeled as an estimate.

Terms used to preserve the history of projects and organizations as their activity changes.

Active

Supported by verifiable activity from the past 12 months.

Dormant

No verifiable activity for at least 12 months, and no confirmation that it has ended.

Discontinued

The maker has confirmed that a robot, product, or project has ended.

Defunct

The maker or supplier itself has closed, confirmed by evidence.

This glossary explains what Machine Census terms mean. The separate listing policy explains when a robot, maker, supplier, or project qualifies for inclusion.

Definitions will evolve as the census grows. If you believe a term or classification needs correction, send us the relevant evidence.