Robotics 24/7: Humanoid robots are especially attractive for human-machine interactions. Sphere Entertainment Co. today announced that its Aura humanoid robot will permanently reside in the grand atrium of Sphere is Las Vegas. The “spokesbot” will interact with guests and “serve as an integral part of 'The Sphere Experience' featuring Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth,” said the company.
4 comments:
The development of technology is fascinating and all, and I am constantly wowed by the absolutely insane creations people have been able to make, but those robots freak me out. The opening line says that humanoid robots are attractive for human-machine interaction, but that is never explained or referenced again in the rest of the article. I personally would not want to interact with what looks like a robotic grey corpse, and would much prefer to interact with a smart robot that looks like a robot. Something that looks like it belongs in WALL-E. I would love it if EVE told me about the wonders of human innovation and the intricate technology behind the development of the sphere, but if that Aura thing is trying to talk at me and is staring and me with those creepy eyes and mechanized blinking, I would simply walk by. The sphere itself though seems pretty cool, I’ve heard it referenced a couple of times, but honestly, most of what I know about it now is from this article. I’d love to see it in person, as long as I don’t have to see the freaky robots.
Robots and automation have been a fascination for many years. Using this seems like a gimmick to me- I am not sure how long people will be interested to see it. It seems like the industry is willing to push it and find it another way to draw people to Las Vegas. A seemingly perfect place to experiment with robots- so much of Las Vegas is artifice and showy devices so robotics seem another perfect addition. At a basic level I think it sounds cool and a fun thing to explore but at my gut level I start to wonder how much art imitates life and vice versa. Every sci-fi movie or book about robots gone wrong makes me wonder if this is the right way to go. I know that we recognize progress as invention and the newness of things. But I think we would be better off looking at the wonders of creativity that humans actually create themselves- not by feeding it to a robot.
I think that animatronics are super cool, and I might be misinterpreting this but it seems like an exhibit of a highly advanced “ai” animatronic human, which I understand could be entertaining to the public. Also the fact that people are able to build something so advanced speaks to the technological skill of the makers. I am very wary towards most things described as “ai.” I believe science fiction and dystopias are written for a reason. Many modern inventions were invented inspired by these stories which is amazing, however many of them are warnings to us as well. Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt directly predicts addictions to technology that we are seeing (to a slightly less extreme hopefully) to be very prevalent today. I, Robot wasn’t just written as a story, and I’m sorry to reference MARVEL (though I’m a huge fan) but Ultron is another example. And though I don’t think we’re quite there technology wise, we’re getting close and I’m worried people don’t know when to stop. Maybe I consume to much media and have too much of a skeptical imagination, however Jurassic Park they created the dinosaurs to see if they could actually do it, not thinking of the consequences. And I definitely think that some scientists and people in the technology field presently are acting in a similar manner. We’re already seeing the repercussions of the not truly “ai” but the highly programmed very complex ai that is affecting every industry, and in our own has partially caused the strikes.
Will robots ever be anything more than a novelty greeter for supposedly high tech venues, or do they genuinely have a place in the theater and live entertainment? The spokesperson for the Aura, David Dibble, said in a release “Our vision with every aspect of Sphere is to transform the way people experience live events… [Aura will be] used to enhance our guests’ journey through the venue.” I haven’t thought about the lobby experience being integral to the enjoyment of a performance, but I guess the entire experience is colored by the emotions one carries with themselves as they step into the theater, just as the impact of the piece is constructed based on their life experiences. I believe that a robot in the sort of uncanny-valley type situation that currently exists will only serve to potentially impress guests with the technological innovations of the venue. I don’t think the Aura will actually function as the emotional-resetting precursor role that lobbies typically play in the theater. I generally doubt the ability of a robot to provide a good conduit for a “new level” of storytelling.
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