We Have Always Been Robots: The History of Robots and Art

Stephens, Elizabeth; Heffernan, Tara

doi:10.1007/978-981-10-0321-9_3

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The automata were crafted with care and equipped with wigs and It is no wonder, then, that these first mechanical humanlike automata, which seemed to possess special skills, were perceived as ingenious and contributed to the philosophical debates of the time. "The automata represented the utopian promise of a human reason that was capable of both deciphering and mastering the laws of nature, a pursuit that found its ultimate expression in the attempt to create artificial or mechanical life" ( [34], p. 31). It was the Baroque period that introduced machines as objects of wonder; they were appreciated for their form, regardless of their function ( [30], p. 390).…”

Section: Short History Of Machines Engaged In a Cultural Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating anthropomorphism in the Ai-Da robot

Romic

2021

Int J of Soc Robotics

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The central interest of this paper is the anthropomorphic social robot Ai-Da (Aidan Meller Gallery/Oxford University), perceived as an actor in the interplay of cultural and representational gestures. These gestures determine how this robot is presented—that is, how its activities are articulated, interpreted and promoted. This paper criticises the use of a transhistorical discourse in the presentational strategies around this robot, since this discourse reinforces the so-called “myth of a machine”. The discussion focuses on the individuation and embodiment of this drawing robot. It is argued that the choice to provide Ai-Da with an evocative silicone face, coupled with an anthropomorphic body, is a socio-political decision that shapes public imaginaries about social robots in general.

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Section: Short History Of Machines Engaged In a Cultural Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating anthropomorphism in the Ai-Da robot

Romic

2021

Int J of Soc Robotics

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“…The history of automated mechanical artefacts predates the term, 'robot' (subordinate labour) coined by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots) by at least, a few millennia. The clepsydra water clock (Babylon -1400 BC), the automation theatre of Hero of Alexandria (100 AD) (Siciliano & Khatib, 2016) and the more recent, Musical Lady and Writer by Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1774 AD) (Stephens & Heffernan, 2016), are only a few examples. Between ancient automatons and current industrial robots, a precise definition for a robot is yet to be agreed upon and existing ones are contextual.…”

Section: Robotic Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

From rituals to magic: Interactive art and HCI of the past, present, and future

Jeon

Fiebrink

Edmonds

et al. 2019

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

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The connection between art and technology is much tighter than is commonly recognized. The emergence of aesthetic computing in the early 2000s has brought renewed focus on this relationship. In this article, we articulate how art and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) are compatible with each other and actually essential to advance each other in this era, by briefly addressing interconnected components in both areas-interaction, creativity, embodiment, affect, and presence. After briefly introducing the history of interactive art, we discuss how art and HCI can contribute to one another by illustrating contemporary examples of art in immersive environments, robotic art, and machine intelligence in art. Then, we identify challenges and opportunities for collaborative efforts between art and HCI. Finally, we reiterate important implications and pose future directions. This article is intended as a catalyst to facilitate discussions on the mutual benefits of working together in the art and HCI communities. It also aims to provide artists and researchers in this domain with suggestions about where to go next.

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“…Recall Keynes’s prediction of mass technological unemployment ‘due to our discovery of means of economising the use of labour outrunning the pace at which we can find new uses for labour’ (Keynes, 1931: 325). Other historical critiques illuminate the continuities of automation, connecting mechanical ‘automata’ of the early modern period with the contemporary robot (Stephens and Heffernan, 2016). Third, ecological critiques describe a more complex imbrication of the social and the technical.…”

Section: Story 1: Encountering Storm Frontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encountering automation: Redefining bodies through stories of technological change

Bissell

2020

Environ Plan D

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This article enhances our understanding of the thoroughly embodied nature of knowledge production in relation to automation by demonstrating how making sense of automation is a generative process, rather than the demystification of an already existing object of analysis. It argues that the process of knowing automation involves situated encounters that transform bodies at the level of their indeterminate capacities to affect and be affected which, in turn, contributes to the production of what automation is. Contrasting with more generalised diagnoses about how automation is deskilling or reskilling bodies, it evaluates the constitutive role of situated encounters that register in sensing bodies for reshaping capacities. Focusing on iron ore mining in Australia, an industry sector that is currently increasing its automated operations, the paper draws on a series of fieldwork encounters with people differently positioned in the mining sector. Through the presentation of five stories that incorporate combinations of these fieldwork encounters, the paper constructs a more complex picture of how automation is redefining different bodies. Rather than taken to be mere representations of automation, it argues that the listening to and telling of stories about automation is a form of encounter that redefines bodies in the process.

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We Have Always Been Robots: The History of Robots and Art

Cited by 10 publications

References 13 publications

Negotiating anthropomorphism in the Ai-Da robot

Negotiating anthropomorphism in the Ai-Da robot

From rituals to magic: Interactive art and HCI of the past, present, and future

Encountering automation: Redefining bodies through stories of technological change

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