The BDF conversation event aimed at older audiences will look at the world of robotics and consider what the future might hold for us.
Older Audiences, Technology and Conversations
Fabrica Gallery, 40 Duke Street
Refreshments Provided.
Now in its third year, the BDF conversation event aimed at older audiences will look at the world of robotics and consider what the future might hold for us.
HARR1 (Humanoid Art Research Robot 1) is part of an art project entitled “My Robot Companion” by Anna Dumitriu and Alex May, made in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire’s Adaptive Systems Research Group.
The project is an artistic investigation of contemporary scientific research in the field known as social robotics, a field that looks at the possibilities of building robot companions for a range of uses such as robot carers for older people, robot nannies to watch over children, sexual companions, and home defence robots. It is important to bear in mind that the word ‘robot’ derives from the Slavic word ‘robota’ meaning forced labour.
The project asks the questions, do we want and need robot companions? And, if so, what kinds of robot companions do we, as a society, want? HARR1’s presence in the gallery raises interesting questions about the uses and functions of robots and explores the ethical implications of how robots could be used in the future in a range of social settings.
How would you feel about a robot caring for you? How do you imagine a future where your relatives would be cared for by robots? Will robots aid or increase feelings of loneliness?
Join Lorenza Ippolito, Anna Dumitriu and Alex May to investigate the philosophical and practical questions behind robotics.
