The principal facts of this story have been extracted from the comprehensive files of the CRIB (Criminal Robot Investigation Bureau) which undertook a particularly difficult case relating to infringement of Section IV, Clause I of the legislation governing the manufacture of robots. Other information obtained from a wide range of sources has been pieced together and collated, though the authenticity of minor details other than those acquired from the police documents, is subject to confirmation. Mansell Howard, the offending robotist, made a great contribution to robotics and robotronics, not only in proposing a new computer hardware but in developing the necessary technology. His application of ETA (electron transitions in atoms) to programming and storage of information illustrates the vast progress in techniques from the early computer elements of the tube, transistor, printed and integrated circuits, and computer chips of the 20th Century to the inorganic and organic molecular-state patterns and eventually ETA of the present day. Expert robotist, Howard Mansell, is fired from Robotics International for not adhering to company policy regarding robot design. He persists in endeavouring to make them appear too human. It is an era when it is illegal to have personal robots since they can be programmed to commit crimes. Only commercial robots are permitted. A string of circumstances causes Mansell to justify building his own robot maid in spite of the law, but he becomes entangled in a web of contradictory experiences: danger from the law, obsession in his creation; and failure to confront his own weaknesses, resulting in programming flaws and faulty behaviour of his robot, which could seemingly only culminate in disaster. The story presents a realistic evaluation of the problems which could arise under these futuristic circumstances. It combines science, comedy, and risque episodes involving the robot, Robota.

This visionary study in world-building traces a human's journey through a preindustrial civilization ruled by tyrannical robots. Breathtaking illustrations, accompanied by text, provide a cinematic scope to every page.

Academy awardwinning artist Doug Chiang and best-selling sci-fi author Orson Scott Card join forces for an extraordinary publishing adventure: Robota. An original illustrated science fiction novel, Robota follows the fortunes of a strangely powerful amnesiac named Caps as he navigates an ancient, decaying world in which a dwindling human population battles a society of merciless robot warriors. Aided by talking animals and stalked by terrifying hunter robots, Caps slowly rises to fulfill an awesome destiny. Integrating word and image, Card's masterful storytelling is interwoven with 75 pieces of Chiang's wildly imagined, meticulously rendered art. Packaged in a dramatic metallic case, this unusual and powerful collaboration is tailor-made to thrill.

How do you spot a robot mimicking a human? How do you recognize and then deactivate a rebel servant robot? How do you escape a murderous "smart" house, or evade a swarm of marauding robotic flies? In this dryly hilarious survival guide, roboticist Daniel H. Wilson teaches worried humans the keys to quashing a robot mutiny. From treating laser wounds to fooling face and speech recognition, besting robot logic to engaging in hand-to-pincer combat, How to Survive a Robot Uprising covers every possible doomsday scenario facing the newest endangered species: humans. And with its thorough overview of current robot prototypes-including giant walkers, insect, gecko, and snake robots-How to Survive a Robot Uprising is also a witty yet legitimate introduction to contemporary robotics. Full of charming illustrations, and referencing some of the most famous robots in pop-culture, How to Survive a Robot Uprising is a one-of-a-kind book that is sure to be a hit with all ages. How to Survive a Robot Uprising was named as an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Daniel H. Wilson is a Ph.D. candidate at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, where he has received master's degrees in Robotics and Data Mining. He has worked in top research laboratories, including Microsoft Research, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and Intel Research Seattle. Daniel currently lives with several unsuspecting roommates in a fully wired smart house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is his first book. Two-color illustrations throughout. Click here to listen to an audio sample and to purchase the audiobook version of the title.

A provocative attempt to think about what was previously considered unthinkable: a serious philosophical case for the rights of robots. We are in the midst of a robot invasion, as devices of different configurations and capabilities slowly but surely come to take up increasingly important positions in everyday social reality—self-driving vehicles, recommendation algorithms, machine learning decision making systems, and social robots of various forms and functions. Although considerable attention has already been devoted to the subject of robots and responsibility, the question concerning the social status of these artifacts has been largely overlooked. In this book, David Gunkel offers a provocative attempt to think about what has been previously regarded as unthinkable: whether and to what extent robots and other technological artifacts of our own making can and should have any claim to moral and legal standing. In his analysis, Gunkel invokes the philosophical distinction (developed by David Hume) between “is” and “ought” in order to evaluate and analyze the different arguments regarding the question of robot rights. In the course of his examination, Gunkel finds that none of the existing positions or proposals hold up under scrutiny. In response to this, he then offers an innovative alternative proposal that effectively flips the script on the is/ought problem by introducing another, altogether different way to conceptualize the social situation of robots and the opportunities and challenges they present to existing moral and legal systems.