Japanese Robot Culture: Performance, Imagination, and Modernity [Hardcover]

Japanese Robot Culture examines social robots in Japan, those in public, domestic, and artistic contexts. Unlike other studies, this book sees the robot in relation to Japanese popular culture, and argues that the Japanese affinity for robots is the outcome of a complex loop of representation and social expectation in the context of Japans continuing struggle with modernity. Considering Japanese robot culture from the critical perspectives afforded by theatre and performance studies, this book is concerned with representations of robots and their inclusion in social and cultural contexts, which science and engineering studies do not address. The robot as a performing object generates meaning in staged events and situations that make sense for its Japanese observers and participants. This book examines how specific modes of encounter with robots in carefully constructed mises en sc?ne can trigger reflexive, culturally specific, and often ideologically-inflected responses. Introduction: The Japanese Robot and Performance.- Robotics and Representation.- Futuristic Spectacle: Robot Performances at Expos.- The Anthropomorphic Robot and Artistic Expression.- Robots, Space, and Place.- Hatsune Miku, Virtual Machine-woman.- Competition Robots: Empathy and Identification.- Robots that Care.- Epilogue: Staging a Robot Nation.As robots are predicted to replace human labour in many jobs in the future, this book forms a valuable function in its in-depth exploration of the complex relationships between real humans and artificial humans. Japanese Robot Culture caters to the increasing scholarly interest in robot technology and performance, and is a substantial introduction to the field. (David ODonnell, Australasian Drama Studies, Vol. 70, 2017)