Robot Rights and Relationships #9

What is the origin of the word robot? Who makes the definitions of these words robots, avatars, nanobots, etc? Who gets to define them? How do we decide? Is there a new social category that's emerging, and should see non biological intelligences through the lens of our own social interaction? Do avatars as representations of the self need the same rights as humans, and importantly, should there be distinctions around the governance of virtual worlds versus physical worlds? What do we need fro...