Lecture 1: The Robot control - How uncannily we project
o The uncanny - similar, but different
o Drawn/attracted to something but at the same time being pushed
away/repulsed
o Uncanny: something that is strangely familiar, rather than just mysterious
o We are in the digital/machine age - every mode of existence has it's sub-modes - the
way we live
o Automaton - a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being (a
robot)
o Automaton = noun
o A machine which performs a range of functions according to a predetermined
set of coded instructions
o Automaton = robot = used in similes and comparisons to refer to a person
who seems to act in a mechanical or unemotional way
o Human labor = almost becomes machine like in nature
o Robot = cyborg
o Robot = A robot is a mechanical or virtual artificial agent, usually an electro-
mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic
circuitry. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous.
o Cyborg = A cyborg (short for "cybernetic organism") is a being with both
organic and bio mechatronic body parts. While cyborgs are commonly
thought of as mammals, including humans, they might also conceivably be
any kind of organism.
o Robots are sometimes feared = technophobia = not trusting technology =
being stuck in the older culture
o Technophobia = The fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex
devices, especially computers. Although there are numerous interpretations
of technophobia, they seem to become more complex as technology
continues to evolve.
o The uncanny:
o Because the uncanny is familiar, yet incongruous, it has been seen as creating
cognitive dissonance within the experiencing subject, due to the paradoxical
nature of being simultaneously attracted to yet repulsed by an object. This
cognitive dissonance often leads to an outright rejection of the object, as one
would rather reject than rationalize, as in the uncanny valley effect
o Internet addiction disorder = now more common; problematic
o "We are brothers and sisters of our machines" - technology historian George Dyson
o Sibling relations are notoriously fraught, and so it is with our technological
kin. We love our machines—not just because they’re useful to us, but
because we find them companionable and even beautiful. In a well-built
machine, we see some of our deepest aspirations take form: the desire to
understand the world and its workings, the desire to turn nature’s power to
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o The uncanny - similar, but different
o Drawn/attracted to something but at the same time being pushed
away/repulsed
o Uncanny: something that is strangely familiar, rather than just mysterious
o We are in the digital/machine age - every mode of existence has it's sub-modes - the
way we live
o Automaton - a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being (a
robot)
o Automaton = noun
o A machine which performs a range of functions according to a predetermined
set of coded instructions
o Automaton = robot = used in similes and comparisons to refer to a person
who seems to act in a mechanical or unemotional way
o Human labor = almost becomes machine like in nature
o Robot = cyborg
o Robot = A robot is a mechanical or virtual artificial agent, usually an electro-
mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic
circuitry. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous.
o Cyborg = A cyborg (short for "cybernetic organism") is a being with both
organic and bio mechatronic body parts. While cyborgs are commonly
thought of as mammals, including humans, they might also conceivably be
any kind of organism.
o Robots are sometimes feared = technophobia = not trusting technology =
being stuck in the older culture
o Technophobia = The fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex
devices, especially computers. Although there are numerous interpretations
of technophobia, they seem to become more complex as technology
continues to evolve.
o The uncanny:
o Because the uncanny is familiar, yet incongruous, it has been seen as creating
cognitive dissonance within the experiencing subject, due to the paradoxical
nature of being simultaneously attracted to yet repulsed by an object. This
cognitive dissonance often leads to an outright rejection of the object, as one
would rather reject than rationalize, as in the uncanny valley effect
o Internet addiction disorder = now more common; problematic
o "We are brothers and sisters of our machines" - technology historian George Dyson
o Sibling relations are notoriously fraught, and so it is with our technological
kin. We love our machines—not just because they’re useful to us, but
because we find them companionable and even beautiful. In a well-built
machine, we see some of our deepest aspirations take form: the desire to
understand the world and its workings, the desire to turn nature’s power to
1
