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Not sure if this is the correct place to ask but it is about the English language.

I am looking for a collective word that describes the movement hardware for a robot. I am making a game where the player can equip it's own type of movement hardware and I want to name the slot. So whether the player equips legs, wheels, tracks or thrusters the name of the slot they are put in must be fitting. I'd prefer a cool sci-fi or cyberpunk name.

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  • Just call it Mobility
    – Jim
    Jul 17, 2015 at 22:18
  • Motive facilities.
    – Hot Licks
    Jul 18, 2015 at 3:40
  • Movingnessicalityism sounds nice. Or you could go with motion sickness configuration slot.
    – Drew
    Jul 18, 2015 at 5:41

7 Answers 7

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I wouldn't consider it a sexy word, but locomotion fits the bill

Locomotion:

-OED

-Webster's

There's this to consider, as well: Robot locomotion

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    This actually describes it perfectly i'm just not really liking the word itself.
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 17, 2015 at 22:40
  • @MennoGouw - Ah, but it comes with such a cool song.
    – Hot Licks
    Jul 18, 2015 at 3:40
  • @HotLicks come on then, let's do the locomotion! I should get the rights to use that song then :).
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 18, 2015 at 9:24
  • @MennoGouw I agree wholeheartedly. It's the perfect word for what you're looking for, but I wouldn't use it myself, either. I can do some snooping and maybe looking into some archaic English, or maybe Latin or Greek.
    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
    Jul 21, 2015 at 19:17
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    No that's ok thank you. I went for Mobility items and Mobility Slots. ;)
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 21, 2015 at 19:46
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A word that implies the robot is alive: motility

Noun 1. Biology Moving or having the power to move spontaneously

Motility is a common word in robotics: https://www.google.com/search?q=robot+motility

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  • I like the word but it's not about moving spontaneously or being alive. A much more fitting word would be mobility, does not fit my question completely but I like the word. Cannot believe I did not think about that word.
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 17, 2015 at 22:44
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    I'm guessing most people associate "motility" with pooping.
    – Hot Licks
    Jul 18, 2015 at 3:41
  • @HotLicks Only if the motility hardware was a solid fuel rocket in the posterior position.
    – Avon
    Jul 18, 2015 at 10:50
  • @Avon - medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/gastric+motility
    – Hot Licks
    Jul 18, 2015 at 12:37
  • @HotLicks I am aware of the usage.
    – Avon
    Jul 18, 2015 at 13:54
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Instead of "mobility," which has a Latin derivation, you could go with a word from the Greek, "kinetic," meaning related to movement. The Greek word is kinetikos. I'm no expert, but it sounds like you could cyberpunk that up somehow.

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  • I'm already using kinetic for damage types. But I could change that maybe. After a night sleep I am kinda fond of using mobility though.
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 18, 2015 at 9:26
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Directionals Damaged. Initiating Repairs.

relating to or indicating the direction in which someone or something is situated, moving, or developing. -Google

It's an adjective but hey, it sounds cool.

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How about archexile, from the combinative form 'arch-' in the sense of leader, and 'exile' in the usual verb sense, sidestepping 'exilarch' (a leader in or during exile) in favor of 'a leader into exile'?

Seems cool and cyberpunkish to me: "Put your whatsit into the archexile slot!"

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  • That is good thinking out of the box. Yet it's kind of vague as to what it refers to.
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 18, 2015 at 9:31
  • @MennoGouw, Riffing on locomotive/locomotion from the answer above, how about locodynamic or locodynamo?
    – JEL
    Jul 19, 2015 at 7:00
  • Both decent suggestions, locodynamic sounds good but might be a bit of a vague term until users know what it does. Have to think about it, thanks.
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 19, 2015 at 8:06
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Often times hardware used to move a machine are called "traction" - e.g. batteries used for locomotion are called "traction packs." Your robot is moving on or through a tangential surface or material, so this would be appropriate. Traction Equipment might fit the bill.

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  • But Traction Equipment does not relate to the thrusters of a robot in flight.
    – Madmenyo
    Jul 18, 2015 at 9:29
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Even though locomotion is the word that fits the bill, I propose a two word combination as an alternative for your specific scenario of it being used for a video game, as locomotion just isn't suitable. I've seen this terminology used in video games before, though I cannot pinpoint where, exactly.

Kinetic actuation

Kinetic actuator

Kinetic actuators

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