Crossword Genius

With poles, carrying current mechanical beings (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

androids

'mechanical beings' is the definition.

'with poles carrying current' is the wordplay.
'with' becomes 'and'.
'poles' becomes 'rods' ('rod' can be a synonym of 'pole').
'carrying' indicates putting letters inside.
'current' becomes 'i' (symbol for electric current).
'rods' going around 'i' is 'roids'.
'and'+'roids'='ANDROIDS'

(Other definitions for androids that I've seen before include "Communication devices" , "Robots that resemble humans" , "Human-looking robots" , "Automatons that resemble humans" , "Robots in human form as in science fiction" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.