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Although they entered the world as pure science fiction, robots are now very much a fact of everyday life. Whether a space-age cyborg, a chess-playing automaton, or simply the smartphone in our pocket, robots have long been a symbol of the fraught and fearful relationship between ourselves and our creations. Though we tend to think of them as products of twentieth-century technology—the word “robot” itself dates to only 1921—as a concept, they have colored US society and culture for far longer, as Dustin A. Abnet shows to dazzling effect in The American Robot. In tracing the history of the idea of robots in US culture, Abnet draws on intellectual history, religion, literature, film, and television. He explores how robots and their many kin have not only conceptually connected but literally embodied some of the most critical questions in modern culture. He also investigates how the discourse around robots has reinforced social and economic inequalities, as well as fantasies of mass domination—chilling thoughts that the recent increase in job automation has done little to quell. The American Robot argues that the deep history of robots has abetted both the literal replacement of humans by machines and the figurative transformation of humans into machines, connecting advances in technology and capitalism to individual and societal change. Look beneath the fears that fracture our society, Abnet tells us, and you’re likely to find a robot lurking there.
Although they entered the world as pure science fiction, robots are now very much a fact of everyday life. Whether a space-age cyborg, a chess-playing automaton, or simply the smartphone in our pocket, robots have long been a symbol of the fraught and fearful relationship between ourselves and our creations. Though we tend to think of them as products of twentieth-century technology—the word “robot” itself dates to only 1921—as a concept, they have colored US society and culture for far longer, as Dustin A. Abnet shows to dazzling effect in The American Robot. In tracing the history of the idea of robots in US culture, Abnet draws on intellectual history, religion, literature, film, and television. He explores how robots and their many kin have not only conceptually connected but literally embodied some of the most critical questions in modern culture. He also investigates how the discourse around robots has reinforced social and economic inequalities, as well as fantasies of mass domination—chilling thoughts that the recent increase in job automation has done little to quell. The American Robot argues that the deep history of robots has abetted both the literal replacement of humans by machines and the figurative transformation of humans into machines, connecting advances in technology and capitalism to individual and societal change. Look beneath the fears that fracture our society, Abnet tells us, and you’re likely to find a robot lurking there.

Robotics

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology. Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

Published: 1982

Total Pages: 1314


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Designing Autonomous Mobile Robots introduces the reader to the fundamental concepts of this complex field. The author addresses all the pertinent topics of the electronic hardware and software of mobile robot design, with particular emphasis on the more difficult problems of control, navigation, and sensor interfacing. Covering topics such as advanced sensor fusion, control systems for a wide array of application sensors and instrumentation, and fuzzy logic applications, this volume is essential reading for engineers undertaking robotics projects as well as undergraduate and graduate students studying robotic engineering, artificial intelligence, and cognitive science. Its state-of-the-art treatment of core concepts in mobile robotics helps and challenges readers in exploring new avenues in an exciting field. - Authored by a well-known pioneer of mobile robotics - Learn how to approach the design of and complex control system with confidence
This volume contains a selection of papers presented at an international symposium on research and development, industrial change and economic policy organized and hosted by the University of Karlstad, Viinnland, Sweden. Situated about halfway between Stockholm and Oslo, Karlstad stands on the River Klara, which reaches north into the mountains of Norway. Founded by King Charles IX of Sweden, whose statue stands in the city centre beside the river, the city celebrated its 400th anniversary in 1984. For many decades the wealth of Karlstad has been based on traditional industries such as iron, timber and paper, and throughout the province of Viinnland there are a considerable number of industrial communities which grew up around mines, ironworks, sawmills and papermills. Even the cultural structure of these communities is heavily marked by the industrial environment in which they developed. However, for over a decade now a major structural reorientation has been taking place and the old industrial structures have been disappearing. For various reasons the importance of large scale, manufacturing companies has declined and as a result of intense development work with new ideas, new entrepreneurs and new technology, we have seen the rapid rise of small companies. In this context, recent research has shown that universities playing an increasingly central role in regional development. Thus the continued development of the University of Karlstad is of significant regional and national interest. Although fairly small in an international perspective (approximately 4000 students) the university is expanding rapidly.