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Book Synopsis

This book considers David Hanson's robots as a performative expression of our cultural moment, serving as a paradigm for the evolution of humanoid social robots.

Mechanical beings have occupied the human imagination since antiquity. Now, they inhabit the pop-cultural imagination, embodying the apotheosis of humanity's technological aspirations and dread. Sophia, Hanson's most advanced robot, anticipates the future as she articulates the mythic pattern, narrative, anxieties, and hopes as old as humanity. Gendered as an attractive female with a face inspired by Queen Nefertiti and Audrey Hepburn, Sophia is a cipher, avatar, and turning point that brings humanity and technology a step closer to the emergence of a post-human species. The author is a transdisciplinary artist/scholar/educator working internationally in experimental performance, indigenous performance (ritual, shamanism), and social robotics. Hanson's robots and Sophia are examined as performance media and events, as

Sophia Robot

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    A Paperback by Thomas Riccio

    £35.99

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      Book details

      Publisher Taylor & Francis
      Imprint Taylor & Francis Ltd
      Published 1/14/2024
      ISBN-13 9781032454108
      978-1032454108
      ISBN-10 1032454105
      Also in:
      Performance art

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This book considers David Hanson's robots as a performative expression of our cultural moment, serving as a paradigm for the evolution of humanoid social robots.

      Mechanical beings have occupied the human imagination since antiquity. Now, they inhabit the pop-cultural imagination, embodying the apotheosis of humanity's technological aspirations and dread. Sophia, Hanson's most advanced robot, anticipates the future as she articulates the mythic pattern, narrative, anxieties, and hopes as old as humanity. Gendered as an attractive female with a face inspired by Queen Nefertiti and Audrey Hepburn, Sophia is a cipher, avatar, and turning point that brings humanity and technology a step closer to the emergence of a post-human species. The author is a transdisciplinary artist/scholar/educator working internationally in experimental performance, indigenous performance (ritual, shamanism), and social robotics. Hanson's robots and Sophia are examined as performance media and events, as

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