ANTHRO 1956 Robots in Human Ecology: An Anthropology of Robotics

Prof. Ryo Morimoto

M 3:00-5:45pm

The rapid growth of applied robotics and remote and automation technologies is reconfiguring the human-machine relationship from industry to commerce, education, healthcare, public safety, security, and warfare. Machines’ extensive programmability and more-than-human physical, biological, and cognitive abilities have already altered our lives and threatened and, at times, already replaced human competitors. What are the consequences of robots replacing humans? Who is more likely to be replaced, and are there jobs that robots should do instead of humans? These are no longer questions only for the selected few; regardless of educational background and intended academic concentration, all students must reckon with the role of autonomous machines in society—their promises and perils—as they envision their present and future. This anthropological engineering course brings STEM, social sciences, and humanities students to tackle those questions by thinking, feeling, moving, and interacting with an actual robot. Through in-class discussions about the potential roles, meanings, and ethics of robots in society and accompanying hands-on sessions manipulating a robot for generating its ethically-sound and community-engaged applications on campus, students will innovate and propose Harvard models of introducing robots in human ecology.