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by taylor-tg 3916 days ago
They could be used interchangeably, 'automaton' predates 'android' by a margin, primarily because an 'automaton' doesn't necessarily have to be an electronic device. It could be a water-powered wooden nutcracker. So yes, 'android' is probably the best candidate to describe the 'robots' that the author is referring to.
1 comments

A roomba is an automaton, but not an android.

Automaton refers to acting on it's own. Android literally means humanlike. Electronics have no bearing on either.