The term "humanoid" refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus In this sense, the term indeed describes primates, as well as mythological creatures and artificial organisms (robots), especially in the context of science fiction and fantasy fiction. A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye A robot is a mechanical or Virtual Artificial agent In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical system which by its appearance or movements Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting An android or gynoid is a humanoid robot designed to look like a specific gender, although the words are, in principle, synonymous. An android is a Robot designed to resemble a human usually both in appearance and behavior Gynoid (from Greek γυνη gynē - woman is a term used to describe a Robot designed to look like a human female as compared to an Android
Usually, a fictional humanoid species has the same basic body outline as a human, being bipedal with hands which include fingers and opposable thumbs, but differs in details such as number of digits, coloring, ear form, presence of hair, average height and weight, size of nose, form of skin, "extras" such as horns, plates, claws, tails or multiple appendages, limb structure (such as having digitigrade legs) and taxonomic lineage (being descended from reptiles, fish, rodents, marsupials, or a phylum not evolved on Earth, perhaps, instead of primates). A digitigrade is an animal that stands or walks on its digits or toes Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Marsupials are an Infraclass of Mammals characterized by a distinctive pouch (called the marsupium) in which females carry their young through A phylum ( Plural: phyla) is a Taxonomic rank between Kingdom and above Class. A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye Reptilian humanoids are a common concept. Reptilian humanoids are a common motif in Mythology, Folklore, Science fiction, Ufology, and contemporary Conspiracy theories
Most of the aliens in television and movies are humanoid, since it is easier for a fictional character to be a disguised human actor. See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Science fiction Film is a Film genre that uses speculative, Science -based depictions of imaginary phenomena such as extra-terrestrial An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works However, there are various methods for presenting non-humanoid characters, for example computer graphics, creative costuming, and puppetry, as seen in shows like Farscape and the new series of Doctor Who. Computer graphics are Graphics created by Computers and more generally the Representation and Manipulation of Pictorial Data The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period Puppetry is a form of Theatre or Performance which involves the Manipulation of Puppets. Farscape is an American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Many aliens and robots often call humans humanoids, although this probably has more to do with translating alien languages, as the word human would appear to be limited to Earth's population only. Alien language is a generic term used to describe a language originating from an alien species.
Some people find it unlikely to have a universe populated by unrelated creatures that all look human, while others (including some biologists) believe that a species would naturally drift towards bipedalism when achieving sapience as we know it (e. g. Russell's hypothetical troodon-descended sapient, the Dinosauroid). Troodon (or Troödon in older sources is a Genus of relatively small Bird -like Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Reptilian humanoids are a common motif in Mythology, Folklore, Science fiction, Ufology, and contemporary Conspiracy theories Occasionally, shows present a reason for this to be the case. For example, the episode "The Chase" of Star Trek: The Next Generation explained the humanoid denizens of the Star Trek universe by advancing the story of a primordial humanoid civilization, the Ancient humanoids, that seeded the galaxy with genetically-engineered cells that guide evolution toward humanoid life (see panspermia). " The Chase " is the 20th episode in season 6 of the science fiction television series Star Trek The Next Generation. Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry " The Chase " is the 20th episode in season 6 of the science fiction television series Star Trek The Next Generation. Panspermia ( Gk. πάς/πάν (pas/pan all and σπέρμα ( sperma, seed is the Hypothesis that "seeds" of Life exist already In Stargate SG-1, many if not all of the aliens encountered are human, and this is explained by them having traveled from Earth in the distant past (See Children of the Gods). " Children of the Gods " is the pilot episode of the Science fiction Television series Stargate SG-1. In most cases, like the classic Doctor Who serials, the reason for the similarity is not explained, and it is regarded simply as a dramatic convention or artistic license, requiring suspension of disbelief. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Dramatic Conventions are the specific actions or techniques the actor writer or director has employed to create a desired dramatic effect/style Artistic license (also known as dramatic license, poetic license, narrative license, licentia poetica, or simply license) is a colloquial Suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" is an aesthetic theory intended to characterize people's relationships to art
See also
External links
- Australian UFO Research Network
- Malevolent Alien Abduction Research Homepage
- Humanoid Robot Video
- Albert S. Rosales
- Albert Einstein Hubo: by Hanson Robotics and KAIST
- Humanoid Robots in America
- Virtual Humans Forum
- Robot Info (Directory of Robotics news, books, videos, magazines, forums and products). There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects
- Humanoid in Star Wars context
Dictionary
humanoid
-adjective
- Having the appearance or characteristics of a human.
-noun
- A being having the appearance or characteristics of a human.
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