scholarly journals The Role Of Virtual Laboratory Technologies In Technology Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Nankivell
Keyword(s):  
Technology Education ◽  
Virtual Laboratory

“How Nice That I Could Love Someone”: Science Fiction Film as a Virtual Laboratory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederieke Y. Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Virtual Laboratories ◽  
Meaningful Relationship ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
The Way

While we already know that clearly utopian or dystopian depictions of human-machine relationships in science fiction film can be effective rhetorical models that shape our ideas of HRI, this paper argues that sci-fi films, like Marjorie Prime (2017) and Be Right Back (2013), can also function as more neutral virtual laboratories that allow viewers to actively explore the pros and cons of those relationships in more detail. This paper specifically explores both Marjorie Prime and Be Right Back for the way they evoke questions or ideas about what it means to be human, what it means to interact with AI, and what a meaningful relationship between these two can bring. By following a neoformalist analysis, I will show how these cases continuously present us with devices that force us to reassess the role of robots in our lives. They do this by using deceptive, reflective, and confrontational strategies within characters, cinematography, narrative structure and setting.

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