50 Humanoid Robots
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Chris Chesher
Abstract
Humanoid robots captivate public imagination and technological ambition alike, embodying the paradox of being both deeply familiar and profoundly unsettling. This chapter investigates how these robots—designed to mimic human form, behavior, and interaction—blur distinctions between artifact, tool, and social actor. It examines their origins in mythology and science fiction and their contested roles in society. Central themes include anthropomorphism, the ethics of human-machine communication, and the ideological narratives driving their development. While technological advancements bring humanoid robots closer to practical integration, their presence continues to provoke debates about personhood, labor, and the evolving relationship between humans and machines.
Abstract
Humanoid robots captivate public imagination and technological ambition alike, embodying the paradox of being both deeply familiar and profoundly unsettling. This chapter investigates how these robots—designed to mimic human form, behavior, and interaction—blur distinctions between artifact, tool, and social actor. It examines their origins in mythology and science fiction and their contested roles in society. Central themes include anthropomorphism, the ethics of human-machine communication, and the ideological narratives driving their development. While technological advancements bring humanoid robots closer to practical integration, their presence continues to provoke debates about personhood, labor, and the evolving relationship between humans and machines.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 Introduction: What Are Digital Cultures? 1
-
Part I Methods and Approaches
- 2 On Methods 11
- 3 Digital Textuality 17
- 4 The Political Economy of Digital Media 23
- 5 Media Archaeology and Media Genealogy 33
- 6 Digital Ethnography 43
- 7 Prescriptive Media and Autoethnographies of the Self 61
- 8 Hybrid Space Revisited 75
- 9 Software Studies 83
- 10 Computer Programming as a Method for the Study of Digital Cultures 89
- 11 Decolonial Media Studies 97
- 12 Repair 115
- 13 Digital Ontology 123
- 14 Analyzing Digital Media Practices to Define Digital Media Literacy 133
-
Part II Histories
- 15 History and Digital Cultures 145
- 16 Lessons from the Hologram 151
- 17 Information Theory and its Detractors 161
- 18 Interface 171
- 19 Barcodes and Digital/Physical Hybrids 181
- 20 Sharing 189
- 21 Advertising and Branding 197
- 22 Automation and Inequality 211
-
Part III Identities
- 23 Digital Identities 225
- 24 Digital Culture and Race 235
- 25 The Digital Closet and Queer Community Online 245
- 26 Tactical Queer Identity in China 255
- 27 Rurality, Gender, and Short-Video Platforms in China 263
- 28 Digital Nomads 277
- 29 Boundaries of Digital Infrastructures in India 285
- 30 Sensual Ethos and Digital Intimacies in Brazilian Camming 295
- 31 Embodiment and Representation in Social VR 305
- 32 The Manosphere 313
- 33 Digital Hate 323
-
Part IV Aesthetics
- 34 Digital Aesthetics and Collective Judgment 333
- 35 Screens and Power 341
- 36 Framing Digital Culture 351
- 37 Beyond the Frame 361
- 38 The Weird Internet and Speculative Knowledge 371
- 39 The Weirdness of Generative AI 387
- 40 Supercuts 397
- 41 Futurisms Beyond Western Cultural Imaginaries 407
- 42 Color in Digital Culture 419
-
Part V Materialities and Infrastructures
- 43 The Materiality of the Digital 429
- 44 The Logistical Episteme 439
- 45 Degrowth and Digital Culture 455
- 46 Digital Modeling and the Climate Crisis 467
- 47 Telehealth 477
- 48 The Culture and Cultures of Twitch 483
- 49 Edge Computing 491
- 50 Humanoid Robots 497
- Contributors 511
- Index
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 Introduction: What Are Digital Cultures? 1
-
Part I Methods and Approaches
- 2 On Methods 11
- 3 Digital Textuality 17
- 4 The Political Economy of Digital Media 23
- 5 Media Archaeology and Media Genealogy 33
- 6 Digital Ethnography 43
- 7 Prescriptive Media and Autoethnographies of the Self 61
- 8 Hybrid Space Revisited 75
- 9 Software Studies 83
- 10 Computer Programming as a Method for the Study of Digital Cultures 89
- 11 Decolonial Media Studies 97
- 12 Repair 115
- 13 Digital Ontology 123
- 14 Analyzing Digital Media Practices to Define Digital Media Literacy 133
-
Part II Histories
- 15 History and Digital Cultures 145
- 16 Lessons from the Hologram 151
- 17 Information Theory and its Detractors 161
- 18 Interface 171
- 19 Barcodes and Digital/Physical Hybrids 181
- 20 Sharing 189
- 21 Advertising and Branding 197
- 22 Automation and Inequality 211
-
Part III Identities
- 23 Digital Identities 225
- 24 Digital Culture and Race 235
- 25 The Digital Closet and Queer Community Online 245
- 26 Tactical Queer Identity in China 255
- 27 Rurality, Gender, and Short-Video Platforms in China 263
- 28 Digital Nomads 277
- 29 Boundaries of Digital Infrastructures in India 285
- 30 Sensual Ethos and Digital Intimacies in Brazilian Camming 295
- 31 Embodiment and Representation in Social VR 305
- 32 The Manosphere 313
- 33 Digital Hate 323
-
Part IV Aesthetics
- 34 Digital Aesthetics and Collective Judgment 333
- 35 Screens and Power 341
- 36 Framing Digital Culture 351
- 37 Beyond the Frame 361
- 38 The Weird Internet and Speculative Knowledge 371
- 39 The Weirdness of Generative AI 387
- 40 Supercuts 397
- 41 Futurisms Beyond Western Cultural Imaginaries 407
- 42 Color in Digital Culture 419
-
Part V Materialities and Infrastructures
- 43 The Materiality of the Digital 429
- 44 The Logistical Episteme 439
- 45 Degrowth and Digital Culture 455
- 46 Digital Modeling and the Climate Crisis 467
- 47 Telehealth 477
- 48 The Culture and Cultures of Twitch 483
- 49 Edge Computing 491
- 50 Humanoid Robots 497
- Contributors 511
- Index