Actuator

An actuator is the mechanism by which an agent acts upon an environment. The agent can be either an artificial intelligence agent or any other autonomous being (human, other animal, etc)

Some examples of actuators of these various agents include:

• Human - Arms, hands, fingers, legs
• Part picking robot - Grasping mechanism, moving parts. Examples include solenoids and voice coil actuators.
• Mail transfer agent - Update software

See also switch, telepresence, touch, muscle.