The Robot in the Garden: Telerobotics and Telepistemology in the Age of the Internet

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

"The Robot in the Garden" initiates a critical theory of telerobotics and introduces "telepistemology", the study of knowledge acquired at a distance. Many of our most influential technologies, the telescope, telephone and television, were developed to provide knowledge at a distance. Telerobots, remotely controlled robots, facilitate action at a distance. Specialists use telerobots to explore actively environments such as Mars, the "Titanic" and Chernobyl. Military personnel increasingly employ reconnaissance drone and telerobotic missiles. At home, we have remote controls for the garage doors, car alarm, and television (the latter a remote for the remote). The Internet dramatically extends our scope and reach. Thousands of cameras and robots are now accessible online. Although the role of technical mediation has been of interest to philosophers since the 17th century, the Internet forces a reconsideration. As the public gains access to telerobotic instruments previously restricted to scientists and soldiers, questions of mediation, knowledge and trust take on new significance for everyday life. Telerobotics is a mode of representation. But representations can misrepresent. If Orson Welles's "War of the Worlds" was the defining moment for radio, what will be the defining moment for the Internet As artists have always been concerned with how representations provide us with knowledge, the book also looks at telerobotics' potential as an artistic medium. The 17 essays, by leading figures in philosophy, art history and engineering, are organized into three sections: Philosophy; Art, History and Critical Theory; and Engineering, Interface and System Design.

Reviews

"Every theory buff and media maven has seen them, flashing their trendy designs from the display tables of university bookstores: those dreaded cybercrit anthologies... The Robot in the Garden is a refreshing anomaly in this oversaturated, redundant field." - Erik Davis, Bookforum

Author Bio

Ken Goldberg is Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and founder of the Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium at the University of California, Berkeley. His Net art installations include "Dislocation of Intimacy," "Memento Mori," and "The Telegarden."