Robots Are Our Friends
From: New Scientist - 06/24/2006 - Vol. 190, No. 2557, P. 56
By: Kathleen Richardson

The trend to create robots humans can relate to as companions or caregivers
is gaining momentum as industrial and academic roboticists strive to create
humanoid machines, writes University of Cambridge social anthropologist
Kathleen Richardson. She notes that advances in humanoid robot technology are
accompanied by changing perceptions of what defines a human being as well as
the similarities and differences between machines and people. "It seems the
meaning of human-robot encounters has less to do with what the robot can do
and more to do with what the human is doing, prepared to do or prepared to
imagine is occurring in the encounter," notes Richardson. This in turn is
feeding into the growing emotional attachment some people feel for robotic
toys such as Sony's Aibo dog or the Tamagotchi virtual pet. Richardson
observes "a growing misanthropic attitude" in human culture that encourages
anthropomorphism of machines and increases the possibility that humans might
start having deep relationships with robots. A further indication that people
think a human-like robot-human relationship is feasible is the emerging
interest in robot ethics as machines assume more human qualities. 

Read the article preview at:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19025572.500.html

Links:
Cambridge Robot Project
http://people.csail.mit.edu/kathleen/
http://people.csail.mit.edu/kathleen/robotproject.htm

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