Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction
In the field of elderly care, robot caregivers are garnering increased attention. This article discusses the robotisation of care from a dual perspective. The first part presents an overview of recent scholarship on the use of robots in eldercare, focusing mostly on scientific evidence about the res...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/6/132 |
| _version_ | 1797380843322212352 |
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| author | Silvana Colella |
| author_facet | Silvana Colella |
| author_sort | Silvana Colella |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the field of elderly care, robot caregivers are garnering increased attention. This article discusses the robotisation of care from a dual perspective. The first part presents an overview of recent scholarship on the use of robots in eldercare, focusing mostly on scientific evidence about the responses of older adults and caregivers. The second part turns to narrative evidence, providing a close reading of Andromeda Romano-Lax’s <i>Plum</i> Rains (2018), a speculative novel set in Japan in 2029, which explores the implications—ethical, affective, social—of communities of care that include non-human agents. My argument is twofold: (1) although science and fiction operate according to different models of knowledge production, considering narrative insights alongside scientific ones can enlarge our understanding of the complexities of robotic care; (2) hitherto overlooked in literary studies, <i>Plum Rains</i> deserves attention for its nuanced representation of a hybrid model of care, which does not discard robotic assistance on the basis of humanist arguments, nor does it endorse techno-solutionism, reminding readers that the fantasy of robots that care is fuelled by the reality of devalued human care work. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:42:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8aac9d6a886043b39c1e80aa76fa3e63 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:42:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj.art-8aac9d6a886043b39c1e80aa76fa3e632023-12-22T14:12:45ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872023-11-0112613210.3390/h12060132Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and FictionSilvana Colella0Humanities Department, University of Macerata, Corso Cavour 2, 62100 Macerata, ItalyIn the field of elderly care, robot caregivers are garnering increased attention. This article discusses the robotisation of care from a dual perspective. The first part presents an overview of recent scholarship on the use of robots in eldercare, focusing mostly on scientific evidence about the responses of older adults and caregivers. The second part turns to narrative evidence, providing a close reading of Andromeda Romano-Lax’s <i>Plum</i> Rains (2018), a speculative novel set in Japan in 2029, which explores the implications—ethical, affective, social—of communities of care that include non-human agents. My argument is twofold: (1) although science and fiction operate according to different models of knowledge production, considering narrative insights alongside scientific ones can enlarge our understanding of the complexities of robotic care; (2) hitherto overlooked in literary studies, <i>Plum Rains</i> deserves attention for its nuanced representation of a hybrid model of care, which does not discard robotic assistance on the basis of humanist arguments, nor does it endorse techno-solutionism, reminding readers that the fantasy of robots that care is fuelled by the reality of devalued human care work.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/6/132speculative fictionageingcare robotsmigrant caregivershuman-robot interaction |
| spellingShingle | Silvana Colella Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction Humanities speculative fiction ageing care robots migrant caregivers human-robot interaction |
| title | Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction |
| title_full | Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction |
| title_fullStr | Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction |
| title_short | Technologies of Care: Robot Caregivers in Science and Fiction |
| title_sort | technologies of care robot caregivers in science and fiction |
| topic | speculative fiction ageing care robots migrant caregivers human-robot interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/6/132 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT silvanacolella technologiesofcarerobotcaregiversinscienceandfiction |