Robot visions.

Area of Science:

• Science and Technology Studies
• Robotics
• Philosophy of Technology

Background:

• Contemporary technoscience frequently corporealizes the 'almost human' using figures of primates, children, and robots.
• The article analyzes 'Lucy the Robot Orangutan' as a case study for understanding artificial life and cognition.
• It draws on Donna Haraway's analysis of the primate and the concept of the 'model organism'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the entangled nature of animal and machine categories in robotics.
• To illuminate broader figurations within robotics through the lens of 'Lucy the Robot Orangutan'.
• To question the conventional framing of robots as proxies for human becoming.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of technoscientific corporealizations.
• Examination of 'Lucy the Robot Orangutan' as a 'model organism'.
• Engagement with Science and Technology Studies (STS) discourse on model organisms.

Main Results:

• Robots, like primates, are utilized as models for understanding animal and human cognition.
• The figures of primate and robot highlight the entanglement of natureculture and the distinctions between animal, machine, and human.
• The study reveals how the concept of the 'model organism' is applied in robotics.

Conclusions:

• Rethinking the imaginary of robots as proxies for human becoming can open new possibilities for understanding human-robot relations.
• The entanglement of animal and machine categories challenges traditional distinctions.
• Alternative figurations of humans and robots are necessary to move beyond current limitations.