The Art in Robotics

Actions such as his could come only from a robot, or from a very honorable and decent human being. But you see, you can’t differentiate between a robot and the very best of humans ― Isaac Asimov

As an engineer, you focus on solving a problem through scientific and mathematical principle; to create solutions and optimize them. The engineer strives to seek and fix the underlying problem, asking the why before the how, but understanding the answer to both of those questions.

As a roboticist, you embody the traits of the engineer, but with a focus on forming and developing a system which can directly interact with its environments. And that's the art in robotics--being the creator of an entity, understanding the essence of natural creations and bringing them to your own hands.

To be an actual roboticist, you need to understand the whole system. Not only the technical system, but also the ethics and philosophy behind it. There's a lot in common between the holistic view of the roboticist and the game developer, with both of them creating a piece of art which create new entities for us to interact with.

There's a reason why we've been so interested in robots throughout our history. No matter the cultural or ethnic background, we all seem to be connected through the thought of large robots. Going back to Greek mythology, you can explore the story of the grand, bronze creation of Hephaestus, Talos. Built to be a protector of Crete, it was given human-like properties and attributes. There are many versions of the story (pretty common in Greek myths), but the majority correlate the death of Talos to human aspirations and weaknesses, such as the pursuit of immortality or the intoxication of pleasure and drugs.

Many people seem to know about what current robots are capable of, and many are also afraid of robots. Although most people are influenced by mainstream Sci-Fi culture, it's true that robots have many capabilities to both help and harm people.

However, we should take in the account that technology is only the amplifier of our actions, thoughts and philosophies, not a completely alien entity. It may seem like that from all these new "bursts" of technologies (generative AI, digital twins, humanoid robots) that they are all out of our realm of understanding. It's just that there has been so much by so many collaborators in history resulting in the current technologies that seem so advanced and possibly a bit dystopian.

As these technologies develop and scale, our understanding and interaction with it must also improve along with it. Many organizations such as FIRST and RoboNation give paths to more students in the field of engineering and robotics, but it seems that there aren't so many easily accessed resources for everyone.

As robotics continues to develop and its art continues to connect and expand, we also increasingly have the need to develop our own art in relation to it. By this, I mean to increase our knowledge of the arts through culture and design, as these systems directly emulate their intended design to the user. If you are to create an entity that will corroborate with humans, you'll have to place great consideration in the aspect of the humanities.

The process of doing robotics in itself is an art, but there is also the art of its design. The design is of equal importance to the technical aspect, if not greater.

That's why robotics is cool

Happy National Science Fiction Day!

Credit to images: DALL-E