When humanoid robot research began in the 1970s, it was considered a novelty. Yet today, the development of intelligent humanoid robots or androids is being funded by both government agencies and industry around the world, and these robots are expected to play a significant role in many areas of society in the twenty-first century. Dr. Lisa Nocks (IEEE History Center) historian of science and technology, and author of The Robot: The Life Story of a Technology tells the fascinating story of how the idea of the surrogate worker emerged in antiquity, grew into a modern cultural icon, and then into a multi-billion dollar initiative. She describes how early science fiction writers described the same practical challenges of working with intelligent robots that real engineers and artificial intelligence experts are now working to overcome, and describes the ways that both science fiction and popular technology media influence the public expectation about robots. 

 

Join us Thursday, March 29 at 7:00 pm as Dr. Nocks delves into this topic. Dr. Nocks is a historian of science and technology who writes and lectures on emergent technology and the public with a particular focus on humanoid robots.  Her book, The Robot: The Life Story of a Technology (2007) was named an outstanding academic title by the American Library Association journal Choice. She is a historian at the IEEE History Center in Hoboken.

 

The program is free and open to all. 

 

Do you want to better understand the variety of business legal structures out there, such as LLC, corporation, partnership, etc.? Come to the Woodbridge Main Library on Tuesday, April 17 @ 7:00 PM to hear legal expert Peter Greenbaum, Esq., of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. discuss your options and how to navigate these structures.  

 

This program is free but requires registration. Please register here.

Enjoy an afternoon of fun board games with our tabletop gaming group! All are invited to join us on Saturday, March 24th, from 12-4 pm, in the Main Library's 2nd Floor Magazine Room, for an afternoon of meeting new people and playing new games. 

 

This month's theme will be the luck of the Irish!  Tired of planning four turns ahead well why not let luck take the wheel? This month will feature games with a heavy luck element that should make for an unpredictable fun time. Games will include Sutakku, Tsuro and Unspeakable Words. Come on down and see if lady luck is your friend!