Social Robotics

Catalog description

We are not alone. With Artificial Intelligence, Smart Technologies, and advances in medical, workplace, and in-home robotics, humans have entered an era in which social relationships with robots is an everyday occurrence. Robots as pets, caregivers, and friends are marketed to old and young alike with the anticipation that some form of relationship will be built between person and robot. But what does it mean to have a robotic companion? Can they be programed to care for us, and even love us? Are our social connections with these robots “real” or “authentic” or are they misplaced hopes of connection? What can, and should, they do? Ethical questions emerge when exploring the uses of robot assistants with vulnerable populations in medical settings including care of elderly dementia patients and neurodivergent minors. Social considerations of trust and misuse of data are also hotly debated. What should the robot do and what should it not do? This is the world of social robotics. For robots to live among “us” and help define “us” how should they act and how should we react in return? This course examines Social Robotics by offering a survey of topics necessary to better understand the world of human-robot relations and ponders what futures we are building with robot companions. Topics to be discussed may include robot rights, Lovotics, authenticity, electronic personalities, and the Uncanny Valley .