Historically, when a device that does a task becomes widespread, one of the things people refer to it as for lack of a better name is a [gerund verb] machine. Sometimes, like with milling machines, pitching machines, or voting machines, they are rare enough that no colloquial name seems necessary. But other times, like with vending machines, adding machines, or sewing machines, the original name just sticks even though the object becomes very commonplace. (While washing machines are often called washers, the original name is certainly still in use.) I wonder why this is, and also what other gerunding machines I can’t think of at the moment.

In conclusion, I’m starting an online petition to rename airplanes “flying machines”.

P.S. I have since thought of answering machines, boring machines and rowing machines. I have also thought about Turing machines.