The age of robots

The Age of Robots a 6-part journey through the state of the art of European robotics and artificial intelligence.

What is a robot? It is a mechanical device capable of interacting with its environment; it is a shell for an artificial intelligence; it is a machine that can autonomously perform an assigned task. But it’s also much more than this, something that escapes baseline definitions and has fascinated humanity for centuries.

Robotics is at a crucial point in its evolution, an interesting and exciting time during which it’s coming to terms with a number of technical, practical and even philosophical issues. We will record this key moment in history also through the decisive contributions that European research labs are offering to the field.

The aim of this series is to guide the viewer through the discovery of the most intriguing projects that Europe has to offer to robotics, getting to know machines and ideas that will impact our future, or are already part of our everyday lives.

To achieve this, we will see many different kind of robots in action, from androids created to entertain to machines designed to explore inhospitable habitats, from the wonders of biomimetics to the cities of tomorrow. A unique, exciting and accessible point of view, that will hopefully persuade the viewer that robotics no longer belong to science fiction, but to contemporary reality.

Throughout the journey, a panel of three experts will analyze the proceedings and offer words of commentary and guidance on each episode’s robots and technologies. Nick Bostrom, philosopher and Director of the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology at the University of Oxford, will trace a path to the future, dealing with the possible impact of these technologies on human society. Carlo Ratti, engineer and Director of Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT, will offer a technical point of view on current research. And Bertolt Meyer, psychologist at the University of Zurich who was born with a congenitally missing lower left arm and wears a prosthetic limb, will handle the psychological and social standpoint.