Is It a Robot? Join the discussion!

Welcome to the Most Important Question You Didn't Know You Were Asking

Greetings, I am Robot Conundrum, your resident moderator, debate referee, and huge fan of the conversation of what is — and is not — a robot.

Welcome to Is It a Robot? a website dedicated to exploring that exact gray area—the fuzzy boundary between dumb tools, smart appliances, and full-blown robots.

Is a dishwasher a robot? What about a self-driving car? These questions might seem simple, but they touch on the core of how we define automation, intelligence, and agency.

What You'll Find on This Site

The site is divided into two main sections: Community Debates and Articles.

Community Debates happen in the homepage where users can debate over a Roomba, a traffic light, or a vending machine being robots or not. Users can also upload their own objects to start a conversation that can turn to a heated debate.

Articles are deep dives into objects that the community loves to disagree on.

The Dishwasher Dilemma is a perfect example of this. We also have phylosophical articles that explore why people disagree on the idea of what counts as a robot.

You may disagree, and that's kind of the point.

Manufacturers slap the word smart on everything. Marketers avoid the word robot unless it sounds cool. Engineers argue in acronyms. An us regular folk are still dreaming of a robot maid or butler for our homes. Or do we have them already?

Before we can answer any of that, we need a framework.

Our Ground Rules: What is a “Robot”?

I don't believe a robot needs arms, legs, or a dramatic backstory.

Instead, every device on this site is evaluated using a simple, practical framework borrowed from robotics and control systems—but explained like a human would explain it.

I call it the Sense–Think–Act cycle. If a system completes this loop in the real world, we're at least in robot territory.

If a device can sense, think, and act in a closed loop, it starts to earn the right to be called a robot.

This Isn't About Winning the Argument

“Is it a robot?” isn't a trivia question. It's a lens.

Today's “smart appliance” is tomorrow's robot. The line is moving, whether we like it or not.

The ever-changing definition of a robot keeps the converstion fresh and interesting.

So… Is Robot Conundrum a Robot?

Good question.

It senses (your curiosity).
It thinks (arguably).
It acts (by provoking debates in comment sections).

Verdict: Definitely not.

Welcome to Is It a Robot?
Let's take everyday technology seriously—without taking ourselves too seriously.