Clare Wilkinson Clare.Wilkinson@uwe.ac.uk
Professor in Science Communication
"Oh yes, robots! people like robots; the robot people should do something": Perspectives and prospects in public engagement with robotics
Wilkinson, Clare; Bultitude, Karen; Dawson, Emily
Authors
Karen Bultitude
Emily Dawson
Abstract
Governmental and institutional policy making in a number of countries has embedded public engagement strategies as a primary channel to connect citizens with scientific and technological innovation. Robotics is emerging as a key site for such new technological activity and its applications are likely to be increasingly notable in our lives in coming years. Robotics researchers are investing considerable time and effort in "engaging" publics. Concentrating on the findings of 24 qualitative interviews with those actively organizing or engaging publics, across 11 public engagement activities focused on the robotics field within the United Kingdom, this article explores their conceptions of "public engagement" and its benefits and constraints. The results suggest that while the language of engagement has been embraced there remain practical, conceptual, and individual influences on the level of engagement which is experienced. © 2011 SAGE Publications.
Citation
Wilkinson, C., Bultitude, K., & Dawson, E. (2011). "Oh yes, robots! people like robots; the robot people should do something": Perspectives and prospects in public engagement with robotics. Science Communication, 33(3), 367-397. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547010389818
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Date | Sep 1, 2011 |
Deposit Date | Jul 19, 2011 |
Publicly Available Date | Jun 2, 2016 |
Journal | Science Communication |
Print ISSN | 1075-5470 |
Electronic ISSN | 1552-8545 |
Publisher | SAGE Publications |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 33 |
Issue | 3 |
Pages | 367-397 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547010389818 |
Keywords | public, engagement, robotics, scientists, practitioners |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/972761 |
Publisher URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1075547010389818 |
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