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Robots & Art



The industrial revolution was only the beginning for the evolution of robotics and I believe we are only budding the surface of what engineers have discovered and created. After watching the lectures, it is very apparent the history of geniuses who have paved the way and helped aid us to be as knowledgeable about the application of mechanics into everyday capabilities. People like Nikola Tesla (AC), Michael Faraday (dialysis), robots emerging into assembly lines and how that affected the printing press and car production, computers becoming the unity of the modern world, and I could go on.
Image result for japanese robot show
Robot Show in Tokyo
The Ted Talks gave great insight into how robotics are being tested and utilized today. Starting in Japan where robots have always been prized and designed to mimic human form rather than American robots who are designed with a specific purpose and put to work. I will never forget when I visited Tokyo and we went to a Robot Show. Probably one of the most bizarre experiences of my life, but definitely proves that Japanese engineers see robots as entertainment rather than a workforce.


I believe Walter Benjamin would approve of the robotics occurring in Japan as their robots skew from the technical medium where the viewer is disinterested and only focuses on face-value. However, it is apparent that other engineers around the world are beginning to follow the same trends as Japan.
David Hanson's Realistic Robots
David Hanson's Realistic Robots
Hod Lipson's "Building Self Aware Robots" talked about his work with machines and how they are programmed to figure out how to walk themselves by figuring out its body.  David Hanson's "Robots that show emotion" discussed how he makes robots look so realistic so much to the same touch like human skin. Yet, Rodney Brooks sees this design of robots in human form to be a bit concerning in his "Robots will invade our lives" ted talk. Brooks is obviously fascinated and impressed by the vacuum robots and military surveillance robots, yet he sees a continuation in the mechanics that eventually they may be programmed to do tasks so perfectly they eliminate the need for human help. Transformers is a great example of this because the robot cars are either mass destruction (Decepticons) or the human allies (the Autobots), yet they are vulnerable to be programmed differently and betray their people on either side. Robots work in cohesion so if one goes awry, chaos can ensue. It is interesting to see with all the recent advancements in robotics, what else is in store in the near future. For the time being, I think the robot takeovers are remaining in movie productions.

Bumble Bee Transformer
Bumble Bee Transformer

Citations:

-Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1936.

- Brooks, Rodney. “Robots Will Invade Our Lives.” TED, www.ted.com/talks/rodney_brooks_on_robots/up-next

- Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381., doi:10.2307/1576221

- Hanson, David. “Robots That ‘Show Emotion.’” TED, www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_relate_to_you/up-next.

- Lipson, Hod. “Building ‘Self-Aware’ Robots.” TED,



Comments

  1. UnknownApril 22, 2019 at 2:24 PM

    Hi Faith! I think you made some really good points! I like that you connected the topic to something that you experienced in your own life with the robot show. I also liked that you referenced the Ted Talks that were in this week's resources. I also thought it was really good to include what your opinion on a so-called robot takeover is!

    ReplyDelete
  2. skylar savarApril 22, 2019 at 2:25 PM

    Faith, I like your analysis of robotics in todays community. I agree that the use of robots in Japan are used more for entertainment than anything else. After reading your blog I can better understand self aware robots and how they differ from others.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bella WentzelApril 23, 2019 at 8:42 PM

    Faith,
    I enjoyed your blog and liked how you included so many different sources. I thought transformers was a great example of how we see robots today and had not thought of that example myself. I agree with you that we are no close to an actual robot takeover and for now the closest we will get will be on television. Again, I really enjoyed your blog and all the points you brought up.

    ReplyDelete

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