"From drones to Mars rovers -- an exploration of the most innovative use of robots today and a provocative argument for the crucial role of humans in our increasingly technological future. In Our Robots, Ourselves, David Mindell offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the cutting edge of robotics today, debunking commonly held myths and exploring the rapidly changing relationships between humans and machines. Drawing on firsthand experience,...

"This book presents a balanced and broad introduction to robotics and the current state of the field, analyzing where it has come from and where it might go in the future. Beginning with the history of robotics and its complex relationship with popular culture, it then moves on to discuss the technology underlying robots, exploring the limits of what robots can actually do now and what they might be able to do in the future. Naturally, these machines,...

Traces the story of how ancient cultures envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices and human enhancements, sharing insights into how the mythologies of the past related to and shaped ancient machine innovations.

"The idea of the seductive sex robot is the stuff of myth, legend and science fiction. From the myth of Laodamia in Ancient Greece to twenty-first century shows such as Westworld, robots in human form have captured our imagination, our hopes and our fears. But beyond the fantasies there are real and fundamental questions about our relationship with technology as it moves into the realm of robotics. Turned On explores how the emerging and future development...

"Most robots are glorified power tools, limited in scope and subject to constant human control... But not for long. As roboticists Laura Major and Julie Shah argue, tomorrow's robots will not be our tools but our collaborators. They'll operate on their own in busy, unpredictable pubic spaces, driving our trucks, doing our grocery shopping, patrolling our neighborhoods, and even managing our ER's... They'll be our first truly social machines.. [This...

"What happens when a Predator drone has as much autonomy as a Google car? Although it sounds like science fiction, the technology to create weapons that could hunt and destroy targets on their own already exists. Paul Scharre, a leading expert in emerging weapons technologies, draws on incisive research and firsthand experience to explore how increasingly autonomous weapons are changing warfare. This far-ranging investigation examines the emergence...