perceptor

Perceptor is a term used in philosophy and cognitive science to denote the perceiving entity—a person, animal, or machine—that receives sensory input and experiences perception. The word is formed as an agent noun from Latin percipere "to perceive," and it is relatively rare in everyday English, with perceiver or observer being more common.

In philosophy, perceptor is used to discuss the subject of perception—the experiencer who has perceptual content, as opposed to the object being perceived. The concept helps articulate issues about subjectivity, embodiment, and the epistemic status of perceptual knowledge. It is typically contrasted with the perceived object and with the data or sensations that constitute the percept.

In science and engineering, perceptor is sometimes used informally to designate any sensor or processing component that yields perceptual representations from raw data. For example, a visual perceptor would process images to form a visual percept. In practice, more common terms include sensor, perceptual module, or perception system. The term is most often encountered in theoretical discussions, early-stage design documents, or when a specific function of perception is being named generically rather than technically.

In popular culture, Perceptor is the name of a Transformer character—a Autobot scientist who transforms into a microscope. The name has also appeared in other media as a proper noun without implying a general technical meaning.