(note: automata is plural of automaton)
This means
1)a being or person that only behaves or responds in a mechanical way.
2)A self-operating machine or mechanism, especially a robot.
Some are convinced that all other animals on the earth are mere automata
A machine which performs a range of functions according to a predetermined set of coded instructions.
Automata is A person, machine or program instructed or coded to performance an automated process