---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For our purposes, the most useful…"
description: "\"“For our purposes, the most useful definition comes from George Bekey, who wrote in 2005 that “a robot [is] a machine that senses, thinks, and acts. Th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/john-m-jordan-105188_computers_for-our-purposes-the-most-useful-definit_802230.jpg"
---

#  For our purposes, the most useful definition comes from…

![“For our purposes, the most useful definition comes from George Bekey, who wrote in 2005 that “a robot &#91;is&#93; a machine that senses, thinks, and acts. Thus, a robot must have sensors, processing ability that emulates some aspects of cognition, and actuators.” quote by John M. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/john-m-jordan-105188_computers_for-our-purposes-the-most-useful-definit_802230.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/john-m-jordan-105188_computers_for-our-purposes-the-most-useful-definit_802230.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/717/john-m-jordan-105188_computers_for-our-purposes-the-most-useful-definit_802230.jpg)

> ““For our purposes, the most useful definition comes from George Bekey, who wrote in 2005 that “a robot \[is\] a machine that senses, thinks, and acts. Thus, a robot must have sensors, processing ability that emulates some aspects of cognition, and actuators.””

[John M. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-jordan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A robot is a machine that senses, thinks, and acts, requiring sensors, processing, and actuators to emulate cognition.

**In simple terms:** Robots sense, think, act.

Key Takeaway

Design with perception, cognition, action.

Themes

robotics technology artificial intelligence perception actuation

Mood

technical analytical

Type

Computers:0 Psychology:0 Robot:1 Robotics:1 Technology:1 Robot Machine:0 Acts Robot:0 Robot Sensors:0 Cognition Actuators:0

When to use this quote

- automation
- product design
- AI development

Key Concepts

engineering computer science cognitive modeling

Questions to Reflect On

- What defines true robot cognition?
- How balance sensor input with decision making?

A Different Perspective

Complex cognition may be oversimplified.

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[Acts Robot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acts-robot-6141005/) [Cognition Actuators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognition-actuators-6141007/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Robot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robot/) [Robot Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robot-machine-6141004/) [Robot Sensors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robot-sensors-6141006/) [Robotics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robotics/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

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