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The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

The Forum: 11/06/2011 GMT

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11/06/2011 GMT

BBC World Service - The Forum, 11/06/2011 GMT

How robotics and other technology is replacing humans, and why, sometimes, it may be a good thing.

Imagine sitting down for a coffee in the sun, and finding that the waiter who brings it to you is an immaculately dressed, smiling robot.  Science fiction?  Or just round the corner?  In this week’s programme, we welcome one of the world’s leading robotics scientists, Professor Henrik Christensen.

Indian writer Siddhartha Deb has a warning of the cost that hi-speed, hi-tech advances can impose on social cohesion.  And from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Director Stephen Hopper highlights the benefits of advanced computing power for the natural world. 

Illustration by Emily Kasriel: socially isolated robots distinguishing between plants in a hi-tech context.

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11/06/2011 GMT

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