Maschinenmensch is the robot character in the 1927 film Metropolis that is transformed into a mechanical double of Maria.
Directed by Fritz Lang, Metropolis presents the Maschinenmensch as a humanoid machine created by the inventor Rotwang. In the story, the robot is given Maria’s appearance and used to deceive the workers, turning a technological creation into a tool of social manipulation.
The design became one of cinema’s most influential images of a robot. Its art-deco metal body and human shape helped establish visual conventions later used in science-fiction films, posters, and popular culture.
Maschinenmensch is sometimes casually called “the robot Maria,” but Maria is the human character whose likeness it receives. Robby the Robot and Gort are different film robots from later productions.