When does a group of grains turn into a heap? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorites_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorites_paradox People can list any

When does a group of grains turn into a heap? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorites_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorites_paradox People can list any number of things: reactive behaviour, complexity of tasks, programmability, autonomy, anthropomorphic design (in part or whole). But really, whether we call it a robot or a generic machine depends on which probabilistic impulses any given instance trigger on the average person using the language. The criteria differ from person to person, the activation levels differ too, and the probability distribution can change over time also. The word is a cultural artifact and has no real meaning other than its relations with concepts in people's brains. Unlike, say, the word "two": that has very precise meaning independent of cultural concepts.