What Is a Robot Under Texas Law?

Texas law has no single statutory definition of "robot." No statute defines the term, so this page does not offer one. It points to the defined categories the law actually uses.

Four categories carry the work. An automated motor vehicle is defined in the Texas automated motor vehicle law (Tex. Transp. Code §§ 545.451-545.459). A personal delivery device is defined in the personal delivery device chapter (Tex. Transp. Code ch. 552A); the colloquial term is sidewalk delivery device. An unmanned aircraft is defined in the Texas unmanned aircraft law (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 423). An advanced robotic device is a federal communications category (FCC DA 26-786). Which duties apply to a machine depends on which category it falls in, not on whether it is called a robot.

Pinpoint: No single statutory definition exists. Related term: Robot (Texas Law) (No single statutory definition exists).

Guide: Texas Driverless Vehicle Authorization
Guide: Sidewalk Delivery Devices in Texas
Guide: Humanoid Service and Consumer Robots
Definitions: Automated Motor Vehicle
Definitions: Personal Delivery Device
Definitions: Unmanned Aircraft