self-operating machines
nounUK /ˌself ˈɒpəreɪtɪŋ məˈʃiːnz/
US /ˌself ˈɑːpəreɪtɪŋ məˈʃiːnz/
Machines that can work on their own without a person making them go.
The factory uses self-operating machines to build cars all by themselves.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. Devices that run automatically according to a set of rules or instructions.
The self-operating machines in the clock tower keep perfect time.
3. In philosophy, machines that move and act by their own internal power.
Early thinkers imagined self-operating machines that could move like living creatures.
4. Automated systems used in industry to perform tasks without human control.
Self-operating machines now handle most of the packaging at the plant.