Generation Robot: A Century of Science Fiction, Fact, and Speculation - Paperback

by Terri Favro (Author)

For Fans of Mary Roach, a Sweetly Nostalgic and Enlightening Exploration of Futures Past, Present, and Still to Come

Generation Robot covers a century of science fiction, fact, and speculation--from the 1950 publication of Isaac Asimov's seminal robot masterpiece, I, Robot, to the 2050 Singularity when artificial and human intelligence are predicted to merge. Beginning with a childhood informed by pop-culture robots in movies, in comic books, and on TV in the 1960s, to adulthood where the possibilities of self-driving cars and virtual reality are daily conversation, Terri Favro offers a unique perspective on how our relationship with robotics and futuristic technologies has shifted over time. Peppered with pop-culture fun-facts about Superman's kryptonite, the human-machine relationships in the cult TV show Firefly, and the sexual and moral implications of the film Ex Machina, Generation Robot explores how the techno-triumphs and resulting anxieties of reality bleed into the fantasies of our collective culture.
Clever and accessible, Generation Robot isn't just for the serious, scientific reader--it's for everyone interested in robotics and technology since their science-fiction origins. By looking back at the future she once imagined, analyzing the plugged-in present, and speculating on what is on the horizon, Terri Favro allows readers the chance to consider what was, what is, and what could be. This is a captivating book that looks at the pop-culture of our society to explain how the world works--now and tomorrow.

Author Biography

Terri Favro is the author of the novels Sputnik's Children, which was longlisted for CBC's Canada Reads, Once Upon A Time In West Toronto, and The Proxy Bride, and the co-creator of the Bella series of comic books. She has written marketing copy for IBM, Apple, Blackberry and LEGO, among others. She lives in Toronto.