Public Lecture:


Robot Cultures: How Robots are Changing Life and Cities in California, Dubai, and Japan



Speaker: Dr Mateja Kovacic, University of Oxford


Date：11 January, 2019 (Fri)


Time: 18:30 - 20:15


Venue：Keio University, Mita Campus, South School Building, 3rd Floor, Room 436.

https://www.keio.ac.jp/en/maps/mita.html



Admission: free



Abstract
The proliferation of real-world application of social robots over the last five years has started shaping societies and cultures in cities, unique to each country and city context. I compare social robots in Dubai, San Francisco, and Tokyo to discuss the diverse robot cultures and their social impacts with aim to provide a comparative overview of the ways that robots are impacting life as a glocal phenomenon. I will talk about politics, economics, governance, and other factors that enable robot cultures, and answer 'why, 'how,' and 'where' of the ongoing robot and AI boom.


Bio:

Dr Mateja Kovacic, British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford


My research focuses on real-world social robots and artificial intelligence as a sociocultural phenomenon. It includes the whole range of non-industrial robot experimenting, from autonomous vehicles and delivery drones, healthcare robots, to service robots. I currently work on four projects: humanoid robots and artificial intelligence in Japan, the urban living labs for robot experiments with focus on Dubai, Singapore, California and Japan, artificial intelligence in China, and medical delivery drones in sub-Saharan Africa. I use mainly anthropological, historical and urban perspectives to research and analyse the ways that the politics, economics, and various sociocultural factors shape robots into part of the society. I also research transnational history of robots, and technology and science with focus on Tokugawa-period Japan.
https://www.nissan.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-mateja-kovacic <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nissan.ox.ac.uk%2Fpeople%2Fdr-mateja-kovacic%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0RvSEs4uTLpVhIRPAeROTFyFB_u0ETzfzgaHeEFBoa94yUz4MSJOcr1RQ&h=AT3pwEOizzv2fap1LbWCU4U07Yu_7j8uPc_UFDAMQky_OvW83UXMPgScMu9lz_aDqoRK1_fa_UydEapDpLfKJ5kWdvlYQaJ8OYeJZ1laMdLcPRnwZpj2YBuvcr024f2SHz4K54o>