Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy“[An] essential book… it is required reading as we seriously engage one of the most important debates of our time.”—Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age From drones to Mars rovers—an exploration of the most innovative use of robots today and a provocative argument for the crucial role of humans in our increasingly technological future. In Our Robots, Ourselves, David Mindell offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the cutting edge of robotics today, debunking commonly held myths and exploring the rapidly changing relationships between humans and machines. Drawing on firsthand experience, extensive interviews, and the latest research from MIT and elsewhere, Mindell takes us to extreme environments—high atmosphere, deep ocean, and outer space—to reveal where the most advanced robotics already exist. In these environments, scientists use robots to discover new information about ancient civilizations, to map some of the world’s largest geological features, and even to “commute” to Mars to conduct daily experiments. But these tools of air, sea, and space also forecast the dangers, ethical quandaries, and unintended consequences of a future in which robotics and automation suffuse our everyday lives. Mindell argues that the stark lines we’ve drawn between human and not human, manual and automated, aren’t helpful for understanding our relationship with robotics. Brilliantly researched and accessibly written, Our Robots, Ourselves clarifies misconceptions about the autonomous robot, offering instead a hopeful message about what he calls “rich human presence” at the center of the technological landscape we are now creating. |
What people are saying - Write a review
Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified
LibraryThing Review
User Review - fpagan - LibraryThingEngineer Mindell details the past and present use of robotic vehicles and other robotic devices in deep-sea operations, aviation, warfare [wince, shudder], and off-Earth operations, always emphasizing ... Read full review
Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy
User Review - Publishers WeeklyNo robot takeover is in the offing, but this savvy insider’s account of automated systems argues that we can expect ever more intimate cooperation of humans with intelligent machines. MIT engineering ... Read full review
Other editions - View all
Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy David A. Mindell No preview available - 2015 |
Common terms and phrases
air force Air France Air France 447 airline airplane algorithms Alvin group Apollo 17 astronauts autoland automation Autonomous Benthic Explorer autonomy autopilot aviation Ballard Benthos cable camera Clancey cockpit cognitive combat command deep ocean designed display dive driverless cars driving drone engineers experience exploration extreme environments feet fighter flight path vector flying geologists Google Google’s ground Hoffman Hubble Hubble Space Telescope human presence hydrothermal vents imagery inside instruments interface Jason Jr landing look machines manual Mars missiles mission monitor NASA navigation networks Oceanographic precise Predator crews Predator operators Predator pilots Predator’s problem remote presence remote split robots rovers runway safety scientists seafloor sensor operators ship shuttle Skerki Skerki Bank skills social sonar space spaceflight submersible surface synthetic vision tasks telerobotic telescope Unmanned Aerial Vehicles unmanned aircraft vehicle What’s Woods Hole Yoerger