Robots are taking over – and it's going to be okay

Submitted by kkerber on May 18 2015

More and more, Futureland is starting to look like Nowland. In places like Japan, you already have robotic receptionists, waiters and other personnel staff. Here, most of our robots don’t have legs, but whether you realize it or not, robots are everywhere from smartphones to home automation to touchscreen ordering. We have machines that can “think,” “see,” and “hear,” and respond in a way that best suits our lifestyle. Is it the rise of the machines? Well, the verdict is still out, but here are some fun books, movies and more to help your decide:

Nice Robots

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

With contact lenses and artificial limbs, many of us are becoming cyborgs already. This futuristic fairy tale asks, when we become robots, how do we want to be treated?

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

Robots just want to live! This book-movie duo asks whether we should really be afraid of the robots, or the "evil corporation" that makes them. Want to try the movie? This book is the inspiration for Blade Runner.

Wall-E

Robots may just be the salvation of us all! Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they are all so adorable.

Evil Robots

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

If the name doesn’t tell you enough…

iRobot by Issac Assimov

If you really want to be afraid of your smartphone, start here. All the rules of robotics will not keep you safe, because, as you know, the greatest threat to humans is humans themselves. Also available as a film here.