Wiktionary
n. (context science fiction English) A machine or robot, usually in the form of a living being, designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions.
Wikipedia
The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and adversaries of the Doctor. They were originally created by Robert Holmes. First appearing in Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, Spearhead from Space in 1970, they were the first monsters on the show to be presented in colour.
Autons are essentially life-sized plastic dummies, automatons animated by the Nestene Consciousness, an extraterrestrial, disembodied gestalt intelligence which first arrived on Earth in hollow plastic meteorites. Their name comes from Auto Plastics, the company that was infiltrated by the Nestenes and subsequently manufactured their Auton shells in Spearhead.
Autons conceal deadly weapons within their hands, which can kill or vaporize their targets. The typical Auton does not look particularly realistic, resembling a mannequin, being robotic in its movements and mute. However, more sophisticated Autons can be created, which look and act human except for a slight plastic sheen to the skin and a flat sounding voice. In Series 5 of the new Doctor Who series, they are shown as being able to create fully lifelike human replicas, able to fool other humans.
The Auton trilogy is a series of direct-to-video spin-off productions based on the long running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who. The three films in the series are Auton (1997), Auton 2: Sentinel (1998; working title, Auton 2: The Rapture) and Auton 3 (1999; working title, Auton 3: Awakening). They were produced by the independent BBV company and are sequels to the Third Doctor stories Spearhead from Space and Terror of the Autons. All three films have been reissued on DVD.
All story elements relating to Doctor Who were licensed from their respective authors.
Usage examples of "auton".
Eliot got his training from Auton, who helped to establish the ground rules for modern espionage.
But after Pearl Harbor, the OSS was formed, and Auton encouraged Eliot to join.
Auton had retired by then, but Eliot often went to him for advice, and the most important thing Auton told him was not to try for the top positions in the agency.
Maybe he learned that tactic from Hoover, or maybe Auton taught it to him.
Tex Auton, America's representative at that meeting, chose his adopted son Eliot, for example.
When Auton asked me to take over for him as a descendant of the Abelard group, I grabbed the chance.
Despite spending eight hours a day, three days a week with Captain McCrone, Auton barely knew her.
The module may be missing from his console, but I can assure you that Captain Auton was at his post at all times.
The auton circuits ran the slave circuits, and Palestrina ran the lot.
Auton, who was also at that meeting, became friends with Landish Senior.