Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!stanford.edu!CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU!Xenon.Stanford.EDU!jek
From: jek@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (James E. Kittock)
Subject: Re: A gaggle of geese, a pride of lions, a pack of wolves...
Message-ID: <1993Jan27.034323.20949@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU>
Sender: news@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
References: <C19sGE.Eq@iat.holonet.net> <1993Jan27.000815.24846@mprgate.mpr.ca>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 03:43:23 GMT
Lines: 47

In article <1993Jan27.000815.24846@mprgate.mpr.ca> mott@mprgate.mpr.ca (Jenni Mott) writes:
>Brad Smallridge (bsmall@iat.holonet.net) wrote:
>:> Great! If Asimov used the term "Pod" than I think I'll use it. Too bad I
>:> didn't think of it first but then Asimov been thinking longer and better
>:> than I.

>A Pod of Robots ... Definitely the best option I've heard so far.  I
>think I'll use it too.  (3 cheers for I. Asimov! ;-) )

Of course, pod is already in use: a pod of whales.

(side note: there's a lot of funny terms like this For
crows, it is "a murder of crows").

Looking at some of the administrata (?) that goes on
around here (or anywhere), if we asked "them", they
would probably suggest "a commission", which would
consist of "task-forces", which would have various
"committees", which would, of course, have
"sub-committees" and so on.

Aaaugh!  What a horrible thought.

On a more serious note, here are two more suggestions:

Unit of robots		too militarish, perhaps
Gang of robots		as in chain-gang (or street gang! :-O )
Rally of robots		organizing to change the world
Rash of robots		they're everywhere
Regatta	of robots	aquatic robots only?
Romp of robots		just a bunch of funlovin' robots
Roster of robots	very orderly, as compared to...
Rumpus of robots	some labs are like this

and last, but not least...

Bob of robots		well, robert -> bob, so why not robot?

I also like "society", even if it sounds pretentious.
Terms like "team" and "unit" are OK if all of the
robots are working together on a given task, but if the
group is a mixture of robots, a less cooperative-
sounding term seems more appropriate.

-- 
 james kittock :: stanford cs grad student :: duke '92 :: go blue devils!!
 "Adaptation is a recursive process in living systems." -- Alex. M. Andrew
