Android, Assembled

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Android, Assembled unpacks the phenomenon of social robots-not as monolithic machines but as sociotechnical assemblages, pieced together from bodily features (like heads and sensors) and the elements we read into them (like gender and authority). Each chapter explores the philosophical, theoretical, empirical, or technical understanding of discrete robot components to offer a deeper look into how those parts contribute to what social robots are and how humans experience them. Part I (Explicit Anatomy) considers the manifest components of robots-those that make up the physical robot and its capabilities: Shapes, heads, faces, eyes, legs, feet, wings, color, clothing, gestures, postures, speech, text, screens, memory, information, sensors, actuators, organic elements, and distributed elements. Part II (Implicit Anatomy) explores the parts of social robots that humans infer or interpret: Image, interactivity, cuteness, gender, power, authority, membership, cognition, decision-making, aliveness, mindedness, obligations, and ultimately the kind of thing a robot is. Along with the state of the art and science, each author gives a provocation to highlight open questions and possible futures.