September 4, 2019
People divide the world into objects (like rocks and toasters) and agents (like people and dogs). How do we decide where robots should fall along this divide? In this talk, Professor Brian Scassellati discusses some of the ways in which we view robots as different from objects, agents, and even other technologies, such as virtual avatars. Using computational modeling and socially interactive robots, Professor Brian Scassellati’s research evaluates models of how infants acquire social skills and assists in the diagnosis and quantification of disorders of social development such as autism. This talk is part of The Franke Program in Science and Humanities’ Mapping as Knowing Lecture Series.