What Is a Robot? Rodney Brooks Offers an Answer—in Sonnet Form

We asked famed roboticist Rodney Brooks to explain his definition of robot. He sent us a sonnet

1 min read
MIT humanoid robot Cog holding up a black and white portrait of Rodney Brooks
In this 1995 photo, the humanoid robot Cog, built by a group of MIT researchers led by Rodney Brooks, is shown with a black-and-white portrait of its creator.
Photo: John B. Carnett/Bonnier Corp./Getty Images

Editor's Note: When we asked Rodney Brooks if he'd write an article for IEEE Spectrum on his definition of robot, he wrote back right away. “I recently learned that Warren McCulloch"—one of the pioneers of computational neuroscience—“wrote sonnets," Brooks told us. “He, and your request, inspired me. Here is my article—a little shorter than you might have desired." Included in his reply were 14 lines composed in iambic pentameter. Brooks titled it “What Is a Robot?" Later, after a few tweaks to improve the metric structure of some of the lines, he added, “I am no William Shakespeare, but I think it is now a real sonnet, if a little clunky in places."

What Is a Robot?*
By Rodney Brooks

Shall I compare thee to creatures of God?
Thou art more simple and yet more remote.
You move about, but still today, a clod,
You sense and act but don't see or emote.

You make fast maps with laser light all spread,
Then compare shapes to object libraries,
And quickly plan a path, to move ahead,
Then roll and touch and grasp so clumsily.

You learn just the tiniest little bit,
And start to show some low intelligence,
But we, your makers, Gods not, we admit,
All pledge to quest for genuine sentience.

So long as mortals breathe, or eyes can see,
We shall endeavor to give life to thee.

* With thanks to William Shakespeare

The Conversation (0)