Unit 3 | Robotics + Art

The idea of the modern robot is not as easy a path to creation as one would expect. Over the course of more than 600 years, new instrumental developments to human life have contributed to the steady creation of what we now call robots. In Professor Vesna’s video lecture series, “Robotics Pt 1,” we are able to visualize a time map, detailing each advancement in chronological order and how it naturally leads to the modern robot.       

                                                                   Čapek, Karel. Rossum's Universal Robots, January 25, 1921

The Gutenberg printing press is the first development we see in the timeline of the robot. Created by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1400s, the main goal of the press was to rapidly increase the production of books, news, etc. This mindset of “mass production” quickly took the scene during the industrial revolution and influenced a vast majority of how labor was organized. The first cars were manufactured by the Ford Company, and so quickly due to the assembly line. This leads us to Karel Čapek’s play, Rossum’s Universal Robots, in 1920 where the term robot was coined and first used. In Professor Vesna’s second lecture, “Robotics Pt 2,” she discussed how all of these advancements influenced the play, as it takes place in a factory that is run by robots, while humans simply facilitate the work. In the play robots eventually try to take over the world as a result of doing all of the work, and is one of the first pieces of it's time to follow this narrative. This could possibly contribute to the western world's perception of robots wanting to take over the world and the fright it comes with.

                                                    Ishiguro, Noburo. Astroboy, 1980         Proyas, Alex. I, Robot, July 16, 2004

In the movie “I, Robot,” the story follows a similar narrative to that of R.U.R. Humans create the robots, the robots work for the humans, the robots grow tired of helping the humans, and the robots try to overthrow human control of the world. This fear of robots in the western world is preserved in how the west makes their robots. Devices like Amazon's Alexa and surgeon robots all fit the definition of one, yet never take the shape of a human. This differs from Asia’s perspective, specifically Japan. In “Robotics Machiko Kusahara 1,” Japan has looked at robots in a positive light, and has taken the shape of humans. This is largely due in part to the manga series “Astro Boy, who Kusahara says carries the same ethics as humans and constantly wants to help others. Because of this robots around Japan are implemented everywhere, from restaurants, to elderly homes. Kusahara says that the Japanese prefer human looking robots because they want the feel of a human to be replicated. Only in the past decade has the west seriously built human shaped robots. Boston Dynamics Robotics has the most publicized robot, capable of human motor function and able to analyze its surroundings and calculate movements needed to traverse the area.

Vesna. “Robotics pt1.” YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/cRw9_v6w0ew. 

Vesna. “Robotics pt2.” YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/oAZ8bo9T_Pk. 

Vesna. “Robotics pt3.” YouTube, 16 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/wkP7oSZVkbg. 

Vesna. “Robotics MachikoKusahara 1.” YouTube, 14 Apr. 2012, youtu.be/xQZ_sy-mdEU. 

“Atlas®.” Atlas® | Boston Dynamics, 2019, www.bostondynamics.com/atlas.dynamics.com/atlas.