Difference Between Droid and Robot (With Table)

The technology sector in India has improved a lot which has led to an increase in the demand for manpower having technical knowledge. With the increasing scope of technology, developing countries like India has developed a lot and has led to many innovations. Droid and robot are one of them. 

Droid vs Robot 

The main difference between droids and robot is that droids are short for androids and resemble the physical appearance of humans, whereas robots are intelligent, mechanical, and electrical machines that act and resemble humans. Droids don’t need to always look like humans, whereas robots usually look like humans. 

Droid is derived from the technical word android, which means ‘manlike’. Droids possess many outer features of humans like skin, eyes, expressions, etc. but do not certainly emulate human forms. Droids can copy human movements and show the same flexibility as a human does. Droids are also known as humanoids. 

Robots are artificially intelligent, technical, and electrical machines that have a long history in science fiction and are controlled by software. Robots are mainly known for the activities or tasks which are too complex and dangerous for human beings to perform. Robots do not emulate humans as they have some bigger objectives. 

Comparison Table Between Droid and Robot 

Parameters of Comparison   

Droid   

Robot   

Definition   

It is a droid that is made specially to look like a human being.    
   

A robot can be called a machine used to carry out complex tasks.     

Specifications     

It is often mistaken as a real person but does not emulate human forms.    
   

It contains hardware, software, sensors, power supplies.   
   

Appearance   

Android looks and behaves like humans.    
   

Robots do not certainly look like real human beings.        
   

Uses     

It is used to help in studying human-computer interaction because it almost looks like a human.    
   

It is useful in doing dangerous tasks that are harmful to human beings.        
   

Aim     

The main aim of building a droid is to look exactly like a human.     
   

The main aim of robots is to perform all the activities which humans can’t perform or to perform tasks that are difficult for people.          
   

What is Droid? 

Droids are humanoid robots that resemble the physical appearance of human beings. The internal system of droids connects with robots. Droids are the launch of robots. Droids can be used in an environment designed for real people. Droids are aesthetically like humans but not certainly humans. 

It involves planning and control, detection, drive, etc. For achieving goals, droids can adapt to the changes, which makes them more challenging than robots. Droids are like independent robots. 

There are different types of droids such as protocol droid, battle droid, probe droid, other droids, etc. Droid has taken a step further towards complexity by showing characteristics like facial expressions, flexibility, etc. Human features such as blinking and eye movements have been built in to show the image of humans as possible. 

Advanced droids can emulate the intricacy of modern human behavior and can repeat them in various environments. Android has some features that make it look like a human. It can be skin, facial features, wrinkles, etc. Droids are used to study human-computer interaction because of their human appearance.

It is well adapted to this task because it is very similar to humans. Droids can be used as personal assistants, and because of their similar features to humans, people feel more comfortable with droids, and it also prevents the stereotypes about robots. 

What is Robot? 

The term robot has a deep root in science fiction. Robots are technical, electrical machines programmed with software. Robot helps in performing tasks that are too dangerous for humans to perform. The efforts of designers and developers are required to show some facial expressions.  

Robots do not have to copy human behavior, and they are not made for this objective. Robots do not certainly look like and may not possess humanoid aspects. Robots that do not look like humans but have a physical resemblance to humans are known as humanoid robots. The task of the robot is mainly related to the efficiency and accuracy of the robot. Robots help in completing the daily or repetitive work. 

Whenever we talk about robots, it should be kept in mind that the sole aim of robots is to perform the tasks with maximum speed and accuracy in less time and to minimize the requirement of manpower. There are various types of robots such as pre-programmed robots, humanoid robots, augmenting robots, teleoperated robots, autonomous robots, etc. Robots contain computer programming, and inserting programs helps the robot to know when and how to carry out the task. Robots need electrical components, e.g., a battery, to power a large variety of robots. 

Main Differences Between Droid and Robot

  1. Droid is a robot that is made specially keeping in mind the physical appearance of human beings, whereas a robot is a machine designed to carry out tasks or actions that are risky to perform. 
  2. Droids aesthetically resemble humans but do not emulate the human forms, whereas robots involve power, electricity, software, hardware, etc. 
  3. Droids behave and look like human beings, whereas robots can, but not certainly, look like human beings. 
  4. Droids help in studying human-computer interaction because of their similar features to humans, whereas robots are used in performing tasks repetitive and risky. 
  5. The main aim of constructing a droid is to look more like a human being, whereas the main aim of a robot is to perform the activities which humans perform. 

Conclusion 

After studying both droids and robots, it can be said that all the droids are robots, but not all robots are droids! It can be concluded that droids are similar to human beings in appearance but do not imitate human forms. Whereas robots are intelligent humanoids through which tasks with maximum speed and accuracy can be performed with the sole aim of reducing manpower requirements.  

Both droids and robots are almost alike in features, but both possess different meanings. Therefore, we can learn more a lot about relationships and emotions from the interaction between humans and robots. These both are helpful in areas of social research and psychology and even can be used for medical purposes like dealing with social anxiety, stress, tensions, etc. 

References   

  1. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-24677-0_44
  2. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-34103-8_40