Zoomorphic robot
Zoomorphic robots are robots that are designed to resemble real-world animals.
In popular culture
In real life
Robots that resemble domestic pets have been popular children’s toys, the most popular of which is probably Sony’s AIBO robot dog, first introduced in 1999.
The Spot, BigDog and LittleDog lines of robots developed by Bostom Dynamics use a quadrupedal design reminiscent of a canine to traverse terrain that’s too rough for wheeled vehicles.
Mimicing the movement of real-world animals has been helpful in the development of wider robotics. Robots that fly like bats and move like snakes have been developed that are capable of navigating spaces too small for people or traditional drones.
Robots resembling animals have been created by documentarians to closely observe animals in the wild without disrupting their natural behaviours.
In media
Examples of zoomorphic robots in media include 808 (a robot cat) in the video game Hi-Fi Rush and Sox (also a cat) in the film Lightyear.
Killer robot dogs inspired by those manufactured by Boston Dynamics are the primary antagonists of the Black Mirror episode “Metalhead”.
In the robotkin community
Although uncommon, robotkin individuals may choose to express themselves as zoomorphic robots.