Unit 3: Robotics + Art

I was quite surprised by this week's reading of "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" by Walter Benjamin. One of the main points that intrigued me the most was his pessimistic attitude towards the industrialization, or more specifically the reproduction of arts. I would have assumed that reproduction of artworks are good in that they educate and inform the mass audience. However, Benjamin states the complete opposite: "reproduction of art lacks the unique presence of time and existence" criticizing the reproduction of artworks as a threat to authenticity.

Another topic that was touched upon this week was robotics and their influence in our society today. In the intro lecture video by Professor Vesna, she states how robotics end everything related to manufacturing. She mentions the continuous boom of robotics. Building upon her intro video, I watched Rodney Brook's Ted Talk about how he believes robots will "invade our lives". I definitely agree with his statement on how robots will first start off as toys and experiments and slowly overtake human responsibilities such as house chores. This is already in effect with "robot vacuums" that vacuum the house with a click of the button. They have sensors that automatically shift the vacuum to a different location when it runs into a wall or a furniture.


Another example would be the advancement of robots in the medical field as well. Medical field researchers believe that robotics will soon take over duties such as surgical precision. Just like how the invention of printing press started producing mass production of newspapers and artworks, this displays the non stop growth of robotics in our society today.











Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
Brooks, Rodney. "Robots will invade our lives" TED. Feb. 2003. Lecture.
Davis, Douglas. The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction. The MIT Press, 1995. Print.
"Robotics in Healthcare - Get Ready!" The Medical Futurist. N.p., 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
Vesna,Victoria. “Robotics Intro.” 25 Apr. 2017. Lecture.