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.