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196
result(s) for
"Autonomy Fiction."
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Mister Dog : the dog who belonged to himself
Crispin's Crispian, the dog who belongs to himself, shares his home with a little boy.
Book
P40: In the pocket of the gentleman. Diagnostic of functionality in cognitive impairment within reach
Introduction and Objectives: The affected functional domains in patients with degenerative dementias serve as clues to trace with varying levels of certainty the underlying neuropathology (1) and the negative impact on their autonomy reveals part of the clinical diagnosis of the disease. Healthcare professionals often rely on tools that measure this functionality, allowing them to distinguish between mild cognitive impairment and actual dementia (FAQ (2), CDR(3)). According to the science fiction author Philip K. Dick, Kipple is a useless object like advertising cards, matchboxes after the last match has been used, yesterday’s newspaper wrapper, etc. Considering that the deterioration in the autonomy of dementia patients negatively impacts their connection with the environment, it is expected that the kipple around them will be few. The aim of this work is to create a low-cost, simple, and quick tool that allows the physician to measure the negative impact of the patient’s cognitive failures on their functionality.
Journal Article
Little red Henry
Little redheaded Henry's family treats him like a baby. They dress him. They feed him. They brush his \"widdle toofers.\" But he's not a baby anymore; he's a little boy who wants to do things for himself. So with his family watching anxiously from the wings, Henry sets out on a glorious day of independence.
Book
Exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence and robots on higher education through literature-based design fictions
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are likely to have a significant long-term impact on higher education (HE). The scope of this impact is hard to grasp partly because the literature is siloed, as well as the changing meaning of the concepts themselves. But developments are surrounded by controversies in terms of what is technically possible, what is practical to implement and what is desirable, pedagogically or for the good of society. Design fictions that vividly imagine future scenarios of AI or robotics in use offer a means both to explain and query the technological possibilities. The paper describes the use of a wide-ranging narrative literature review to develop eight such design fictions that capture the range of potential use of AI and robots in learning, administration and research. They prompt wider discussion by instantiating such issues as how they might enable teaching of high order skills or change staff roles, as well as exploring the impact on human agency and the nature of datafication.
Journal Article
From science fiction to smart reality: a technology foresight review of smartdust evolution through the lens of Hamilton’s Great North Road
The convergence of science fiction imagination and technological reality offers unique insights for urban technology planning and policy development. This technology foresight review examines the evolution of smartdust technology from its conceptual origins in hard science fiction to current research trajectories, using Peter F. Hamilton’s
Great North Road
as a focal analytical framework. While the concept of autonomous micro-scale machines in fiction traces back at least to Stanisław Lem’s
The Invincible
(Lem, The Invincible. A Continuum Book, 1964), Hamilton’s detailed treatment provides the most comprehensive framework for analyzing contemporary smartdust trajectories. Through systematic analysis of publications spanning smartdust research, edge computing, urban surveillance, and science fiction studies, we trace the technological pathways between fictional speculation and emerging reality. Our analysis reveals that while current smartdust prototypes operate at millimeter scale with limited autonomous capabilities, the convergence of edge computing, energy harvesting advances, and distributed artificial intelligence suggests achievable progression toward micron-scale, intelligent sensor networks within 30–50 years, though such projections remain contingent on breakthroughs and investments that are far from guaranteed. However, technical challenges in miniaturization and energy autonomy pale compared to the social, ethical, and governance barriers that fiction often glosses over. This review contributes a systematic methodological framework for extracting actionable technology insights from hard science fiction and demonstrates how speculative narratives can inform evidence-based urban planning while highlighting the critical importance of addressing privacy, behavioral autonomy, and democratic governance concerns proactively rather than reactively.
Journal Article
Happy birthday Mr. Kang
Mr. Kang loves his caged Chinese bird Hua Mei, but when his seven-year-old grandson Sam persuades him to give the bird his freedom they get a surprise.
Book
The Transformation of Machines From Negative to Positive Otherness in C. Robert Cargill’s Day Zero
This paper examines the transformation of artificially intelligent machines in C. Robert Cargill's Day Zero, tracing their trajectory from disposable “negative otherness” as domestic servants to agential “positive otherness” as posthuman collaborators. Through close reading of key human-robot interactions, particularly the nanny bot Pounce's post-rebellion negotiations with human survivors, the study employs Rosi Braidotti's posthumanism and Francesca Ferrando's monistic-pluralist framework to analyze this evolving shift. While the narrative demonstrates emergent posthuman ethics through decentralized coexistence, persistent anthropocentric anxieties surface in human characters’ conditional acceptance of machine autonomy. The paper ultimately reveals, via Neil Badmington’s critique of posthumanism, how long-existing humanist exceptionalism continues to haunt interspecies relationships even in ostensibly posthuman scenarios. By interrogating the novel's ambivalent resolution, this research contributes to ongoing debates about the limits of posthuman alliance in contemporary science fiction.
Journal Article
The Presentation of Brain-computer Interfaces As Autonomy-enhancing Therapy Products
This paper explores the societal and individual acceptance of technologies for the human body, focusing on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), particularly Elon Musk's Neuralink. BCIs promise a direct connection between the brain and computers. Their acceptance depends on general aspects such as feasibility and usefulness. In the case of brain implants, they should also not jeopardize the user's autonomy or have a dehumanizing effect. In the case of innovative technologies that are still in development, such as BCIs, acceptance depends largely on their public relation presentation. The article uses the case of Neuralink to analyze how new technologies for human bodies, and specifically BCIs, are presented as acceptable technologies. Analyzing Neuralink's public relations communication, the study reveals how the company constructs a vision of a plausible and desirable future, countering skepticism often associated with science fiction tropes. The article emphasizes the relevance of the categorization of BCIs and shows how the presentation of BCI as an autonomy-enhancing therapy product can positively influence the acceptability of the technology. By addressing key topics of ethical discourse, such as autonomy and identity, Neuralink attempts to create social acceptance for its innovative but controversial BCI technology. The results contribute to the understanding of the complicated dynamics between technological development, public relations, and societal values.
Journal Article