Will a robot take your job? New London exhibit traces their evolution.
The word 鈥渞obot鈥澛� by Czech writer Karel 膶apek, for a play about soulless, mass-produced workers that overrun humanity.
Nearly a century later, that word is the title of at the Science Museum in London. 鈥淩obots鈥� takes a longer 鈥� and more positive 鈥� attitude towards lifelike machines.
鈥淲hen you take a long view, as we have done with 500 years of robots, robots haven't been these terrifying things, they've been magical, fascinating, useful, and they generally tend to do what we want them to do,鈥澛燘en Russell, the exhibit鈥檚 lead curator, told the Associated Press.
From a 16th-century clockwork monk built for King Philip II of Spain, to a contemporary bot called 聽that sings and takes selfies with guests, many of the exhibit鈥檚 specimens were built to entertain. Other likely crowd-pleasers include an made from solid silver, and the T-800 robot featured in the 2009 film 鈥淭erminator Salvation.鈥�
Some of the other robots serve more serious purposes. These include , a two-armed robot made for factory or laboratory work, and , a 鈥渕inimally expressive social robot鈥� designed to help children with autism learn facial expressions.
Art critic Mark Hudson, for British newspaper The Telegraph, wrote:
鈥淭he exhibition uses each of [the robots] to pose questions about what we want from robots, ranging from the worthy 鈥� can gender-neutral robots help us become a more equal and inclusive society? 鈥� to the practical 鈥� if robots are going to 鈥榯ake鈥� our jobs, should the companies using them pay income tax on their behalf?鈥�
With concerns growing that automation will replace human workers, these kinds of questions are more relevant than ever.
What about the science-fiction staple of robots run amok, introduced by 膶apek聽along with the word itself?
Some may think that it鈥檚 getting closer: Last week, 海角大神聽reported that an artificial intelligence program had beaten some of the world鈥檚 best poker players at No-Limits Texas Hold 鈥榚m Poker, marking a major gain for AI. In a futuristic look, the 2004 movie "I, Robot"聽has Will Smith battling intelligent humanoids in the year 2035.
But the London exhibit demonstrates that, for the moment, robots need their human masters. Mr. Hudson concluded that guests will leave 鈥渧ery likely reassured by their still limited capabilities. They can鈥檛 yet go upstairs and need their batteries frequently recharging 鈥� by us.鈥�
But even if robots aren鈥檛 about to pose a threat to humanity, Mr. Russell expects them to become a bigger part of our lives in coming years. And if these machines are 鈥済oing to come along,鈥� he told the AP, 鈥測ou've got a stake in how they develop.鈥�
