Technology has always been motivating the development of art and popular culture, and it will always be the pushing force for such development. With the invention of the printing press by Chinese in 868, people start being able to print an increasing amount of newspapers and books to spread ideas and knowledge. In my point of view, that is the starting point of modern mass production. The technology of mass production was led to a peak when Henry Ford developed the technology to a new level with precise and rapid assembly line. Despite of the criticism of treating humans as a part of machine, the products of this assembly line, automobiles opened another era of transportation. With the trend of improving efficiency and productivity, robotics starts to play an important role in the modern industrialization.
Invention of printing press by Chinese
People have different opinions on the impact of industrialization on arts. Mechanical reproduction is, as Walter Benjamin argues in "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," detrimental to the creativeness of arts. He asserts, "even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be." However, I would argue that industrialization and mass production is a product of the natural development of society. No one could have foreseen the impact of industrialization on the society and the development of arts. The change is not forced. It happens naturally and people naturally come to accept it as a part of their everyday life. Therefore, it is normal for people to utilize the technology to create art.
Initially designed as tools to improve productivity, robots now represent the ultimate combination of art and technology. It is not only used in factories, but also plays an significant role in people's everyday life. Robots are given, according to Professor Machiko Kusahara, human beings' emotions and expectations for the future. For example, setting up the basic principles for robot design in Japanese anime, the hero in the notable "Astro Boy" is more than just an indifferent robot. He was created with human emotions and ethics, encouraging Japanese people to walk out of the trauma of nuclear weapon and to move forward. Applying the same idea to the design of real robots, Japanese robots often have friendly and comforting appearance, used to cheer people up and help people. As David Hanson discussed in his 2009 TED Talk "Robots that 'show emotions'", robots can now make a variety of facial expressions, allowing them to come to empathize with and to interact with humans.
Astro Boy
David Hanson and his robot
While robotics is progressing rapidly, people are imagining what robots will be like in the future. The Oscar Best Animated Feature Film of the 2009 "Wall-E" depicts the love story between a discarded waste collecting robot and advanced robot Eve. Even though the robots in the movie cannot speak, they have emotions like humans do and love like humans do. The movie is an astonishing product of the collaboration of the art and technology with robots showing their own free wills.
Wall_E
The modern industrialization has certainly accelerated technological revolution. More importantly, it stimulates the integration of art and science. Bringing a variety of disciplines together to create a single product, robotics has further blurred the lines between art and technology and has created a new popular culture.
Sources
Palermo, By. "Who Invented the Printing Press?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/43639-who-invented-the-printing-press.html>.
"Mass Production." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <http://www.economist.com/node/14299820>.
"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Walter Benjamin. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm>.
"Robotics MachikoKusahara 1." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZ_sy-mdEU#t=981>.
"Robots That "show Emotion"" David Hanson:. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_relate_to_you>.
Scott, A. "In a World Left Silent, One Heart Beeps." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 June 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/movies/27wall.html?_r=0>.
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