Living with Robots: What Every Anxious Human Needs to Know

Ruth Aylett is a professor of computer science at Heriot-Watt University. For more than 30 years she has studied robotics, specializing in the affective and social aspects, software, and human-computer interaction. Patricia A. Vargas is director and founder of the robotics laboratory at Heriot-Watt University; she teaches computer science and robotics. She is an editor for the journal “Horizons in Evolutionary Robotics” (MIT Press). Noel Sharkey is a distinguished professor at the University of Sheffield, a member of the British Computer Society, specializing in software development, co-director of the Foundation for Responsible Robotics, and chair of the International Committee for the Control of Robotic Weapons. There’s a lot of noise around robots: some information seems frightening, and some is utopian. Ruth Aylett and Patricia Vargas tell the story of humans interacting with robots—from chatbots and robotized limb prostheses to driverless cars and “a swarm” of many small robots. They show where robots outperform people and where they cannot match our amazing talents. The authors explain how robots see, feel, hear, think, and learn; describe how robots can cooperate with us and with one another; and assess their abilities as servants, companions, and pets. Finally, they examine the ethical and social issues associated with robots: killer robots, sex robots, and robots that can take your job. “Living with Robots” will help the reader view robots without bias—as human-made artifacts, not as a cause for anxiety. From the book you’ll learn: • Why can robots swim and fly, but it’s difficult for them to walk? • What robot features are borrowed from animals and insects? • Why do we develop feelings for robots? • Which human abilities is it hard for a robot to replicate?