'Why do we want our robots to be so human?'
Monday, August 3, 2009 by House
First of all, the trouble I have with the term 'cyborg' is that when I hear it, my mind immediately links it with something that, while a hybrid of man and machine, is ultimately more machine than human. This sort of links to what I really want to talk about in regards to our lecture today...
Firstly the question was raised 'why do we want our robots to be so human'? Luke then talked about the disappearing 'interface' of technology and how more and more technology is becoming something that is an extension of our human selves ("encasing ourselves in technology"). He used great examples like the iPod shoes and Wii. While he was explaining this I couldn't help but think that our desire to make robots like humans could be argued as a means of removing a certain 'interface' between ourselves and such technology. As I mentioned earlier, when I think cyborg, I think machine first, human second. For me when looking visually at technology and machinery (in a very literal sense such as metal, nuts, bolts, flashing lights and the like) this machine-aesthetic automatically distances me from it, it feels extremely foreign, in interacting with it I feel (for lack of a better word) 'fearful' of it. Perhaps creating robots in a human form is a way of closing this 'distance' we as humans feel with machines. By giving robots human characteristics they immediately become approachable, we 'fear' them less. Ultimately, in my opnion it is the removal of a particular sort of interface as these robots (machines) now seem to be extensions and reflections of ourselves.
If we move away from robots and think about technology in general, you could push this idea even further and suggest that the need to shape technology to familiar human characteristics or human form is so important that new technology and media is consumed on the basis of its human representation over the technical abilities of the machine. Think about things such as televisions, computers, iPods for example. There is a growing need to make these sorts of technologies slimmer, more lightweight - compare what makes these technologies desirable with our cultural ideas of what a desirable human form is...similarities? While technology in this way is not neccessarily physically reflective of a human being, their design and appearance is based on cultural notions of the human form. The question I guess is does that make these technologies cyborgs?
Think about it...
Firstly the question was raised 'why do we want our robots to be so human'? Luke then talked about the disappearing 'interface' of technology and how more and more technology is becoming something that is an extension of our human selves ("encasing ourselves in technology"). He used great examples like the iPod shoes and Wii. While he was explaining this I couldn't help but think that our desire to make robots like humans could be argued as a means of removing a certain 'interface' between ourselves and such technology. As I mentioned earlier, when I think cyborg, I think machine first, human second. For me when looking visually at technology and machinery (in a very literal sense such as metal, nuts, bolts, flashing lights and the like) this machine-aesthetic automatically distances me from it, it feels extremely foreign, in interacting with it I feel (for lack of a better word) 'fearful' of it. Perhaps creating robots in a human form is a way of closing this 'distance' we as humans feel with machines. By giving robots human characteristics they immediately become approachable, we 'fear' them less. Ultimately, in my opnion it is the removal of a particular sort of interface as these robots (machines) now seem to be extensions and reflections of ourselves.
If we move away from robots and think about technology in general, you could push this idea even further and suggest that the need to shape technology to familiar human characteristics or human form is so important that new technology and media is consumed on the basis of its human representation over the technical abilities of the machine. Think about things such as televisions, computers, iPods for example. There is a growing need to make these sorts of technologies slimmer, more lightweight - compare what makes these technologies desirable with our cultural ideas of what a desirable human form is...similarities? While technology in this way is not neccessarily physically reflective of a human being, their design and appearance is based on cultural notions of the human form. The question I guess is does that make these technologies cyborgs?
Think about it...
that was a good point, the idea that it's not just humans becoming closer to technology but technology seems to be more humanized.I believe that's what Luke was touching on in the lecture when he said it's not only how we're reflexive of technology but also how technology is reflexive of us, which is very true. Laptops is a good example, and i also thought the way in which cars are sold, big tough truck for a tough consumer, or fast sporty car for the on-the-go man. I would argue it's getting more and more like this with technology.
that was a good point, the idea that it's not just humans becoming closer to technology but technology seems to be more humanized.I believe that's what Luke was touching on in the lecture when he said it's not only how we're reflexive of technology but also how technology is reflexive of us, which is very true. Laptops is a good example, and i also thought the way in which cars are sold, big tough truck for a tough consumer, or fast sporty car for the on-the-go man. I would argue it's getting more and more like this with technology.