Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Robotic Visions at At-Bristol





The first Robotic Visions conference has started here in the Science Learning Centre of At-Bristol! We have around 25 students from 4 schools. As the day progresses I'll be posting updates, and some pictures, here:

2.00pm The five groups have come up with their big issues:
  1. Robots looking after us
  2. Robots Venturing into Space
  3. Robot Family and Friends (companions)
  4. Robot Teachers and Trainers
  5. Equal access to Robot Technology for rich and poor
What a great set of issues. Especially the last one.

5.00pm We just finished the celebration session in which the five groups presented their findings and recommendations to the invited VIPs. Four of the groups elected to have show and tell presentations with posters and written material - all of which were brilliant. The 'equal access' group, instead read out a powerful and moving statement that was both critical of technology for technology's sake, when set against real issues such as poverty, while at the same time calling for a strong ethical approach to robotics. Hopefully I can get hold of a copy of that statement and post it here.

1 comment:

  1. Professor Winfield,
    That's really fantastic: the power of vision is extraordinary in particular to shape the youngster's life and therefore the humankind.
    Thank you very much for your contribution!!!

    "What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him."

    ~ Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

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