Animating Amusement: The Seriousness of Robot Play in Contemporary Japan
Key information
- Date
- Time
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5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
- Venue
- Virtual Event
About this event
Daniel White (University of Cambridge) and Hirofumi Katsuno (Doshisha University)
Abstract
Although many robots in Japan are produced for healthcare, they are often first designed for fun. In fact, many engineers in Japan are fond of claiming that their first desire is to create an evocative machine that can attract people’s interest and only second consider such a machine’s applications. Other engineers even claim that robots should be altogether ‘useless’, good for no specific purpose other than amusement. In this presentation, we examine serious engagement in robot play. Drawing on examples from amateur robot builders, pet robots, and the installation of an android bodhisattva at a popular Zen temple, we examine how play and amusement are leveraged to address deeply challenging philosophical questions posed by the increasing rise of machines with artificial intelligence in Japan’s social spaces.
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Speaker Biographies
Hirofumi Katsuno is Associate Professor of anthropology and media studies in the Faculty of Social Studies at Doshisha University, Kyoto. His primary research interest is the socio-cultural impact of new media technologies, particularly focusing on the formation of imagination, agency, and presence in technologically mediated environments in the age of AI and robotics.
Daniel White is Senior Research Associate in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. He researchers the social and political dimensions of affect, artificial intelligence, and affective computing in Japan and the UK. The authors’ ongoing research project and collaborative works can be found on the Model Emotion website .
Organiser: SOAS Japan Research Centre
Contact email: centres@soas.ac.uk
