More Than Machines? – The Attribution of (In)Animacy to Robot Technology

Laura Voss author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Transcript Verlag

Published:3rd Dec '21

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

More Than Machines? – The Attribution of (In)Animacy to Robot Technology cover

We know that robots are just machines. Why then do we often talk about them as if they were alive? Laura Voss explores this fascinating phenomenon, providing a rich insight into practices of animacy (and inanimacy) attribution to robot technology: from science-fiction to robotics R&D, from science communication to media discourse, and from the theoretical perspectives of STS to the cognitive sciences. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, and backed by a wealth of empirical material, Voss shows how scientists, engineers, journalists - and everyone else - can face the challenge of robot technology appearing »a little bit alive« with a reflexive and yet pragmatic stance.

"The full book is an accessible and quick read that I would recommend for anyone involved in journalism or media studies." Liz Faber, https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org, 18.08.2021

ISBN: 9783837655605

Dimensions: 226mm x 147mm x 15mm

Weight: 666g

240 pages