Taking a Look at Cyberdolls

Robot Turtles: is a board game to teach children the basics of programming without having to use any

This technology revolution sparked a debate on children’s use of technology. Children are constantly using iPads, iPhones, tablets, and other computerized devices. By over exposing children to technology, they are being robbed of the mental stimulation that comes from doing real, non computerized, activities. It has gotten to the point where one can see a two-year-old navigate an iPhone with ease but struggle to speak. Sixty-nine percent of children aged two to five can use a computer mouse, but only eleven percent can tie their own shoelaces (Generation Tech More Kids Can Play Computer Games than Ride a Bike). Also, children are at an all time low in the creativity department

In a world that continues to advance technologically machines titled “sociable robots” acquire life-like characteristics once exclusive to humans. They are able to express artificial emotions that seem real to the user. In “Alone Together” by Sherry Turkle we see how sociable robots interact with children. They begin to feel emotions that were once exclusive to human interaction. In the narrative “An Army of One: Me” by Jean Twenge we see how prominent the generation gap is. Those under the age of thirty-five tend to focus more on themselves and making sure they feel worthy. Twenge appropriately titles this generation as “Generation Me,” highlighting the fact that boosts of “self-esteem” leads to a rise in individualistic focus. Parents expose their children to toys that industries manufacture to fill the emotional needs children have at a young age. This consequently decreases the need for human interaction. As technology develops and become more “alive,” researchers are able to find what children desire and are able to give those desires to them in a toy. These new toys shape how children think and grow, directly affecting them for their entire lives. By changing the notions of aliveness, sociable robots “cultivate” behaviors representative of Generation Me by manipulating values important to one’s well-being through their expression of life-like emotions and behaviors.

To start, Sherry mentions how smart toys have started to advance where it made children believe that the new innovation toys give sentiments like a genuine human being would. Due to the knowledge technology gadgets

The types of toys children play with can affect how they develop. Toys can help or hinder a child’s development in intelligence, social skills and personality. Certain characteristics may be genetically entwined in a human being, but some characteristics and behaviors can be learned, from parents, surroundings, and the toys with which a youngster plays. Elise Moore, author of “How Do Toys Aid Development”, stated “if play is the work of the child, toys are the child’s tools” (Moore, 2).

Toys are artifacts created by humans that come in all shapes, sizes, and form used for entertainment, therapy, or simply to past time. One of the earliest toys was a doll made of stone that was estimated to be four thousand years old. What is really interesting is the fact that archaeologists have found that the majority of human civilization produced toys. Nowadays, toys are mass produced and have become an essential item in the human lifestyle. So much so that these toys have the ability to shape children or adults to act or be a certain way. Companies take advantage of their products and advertising to have customers continually buy their products so that these paying customers can achieve their desires. However, some products actually

In “Project Classroom Makeover”, Cathy Davidson demonstrates the potential benefits that can come from the implementation of technology in the current educational paradigm. Furthermore, in Sherry Turkle’s “selections from Alone Together”, Turkle discusses the unique relationship between a child and his or her artificially intelligent toys, some of which included Tamagotchis and Furbies. Interestingly, children give these toys special treatment relative to other toys. If the special treatment encourages positive behavior, then these toys could be potentially implemented into the current educational paradigm as a new form of technology. Therefore, the real question is are there benefits of allowing children to play with these toys, or will there

Sharkey explains the advantage points of his argument by explaining how the Japanese and South Korean companies are creating child-like robots that can be good for “video-game playing, conducting verbal quiz game, speech recognition, face recognition, and conversation” (Sharkey 358). He describes how robots have the ability to provide alerts when children move out of range. However, he brings up a crucial point in their programming on how robots can’t provide the proper care that human adults can give to their kids including: contact, touch and caring from other humans. Though robots can provide safety, children may not have contact with other humans for days, which according to Sharkey, can cause a “psychological impact of the varying degrees of social isolation” (358). His claim was based on animal studies. For example, during an experiment with monkeys, according to Sharkey, “severe social dysfunction occurs in infant animals that are allowed to develop attachments only to inanimate surrogates” (358). Like a child would do with a robot, the monkeys would grow too attached and their behavior would likely change. People today need to realize that they need to reconsider the idea of having robots care for their kids and start being the responsible ones.

In “Cyber war is Already Upon Us” by John Arquilla. Arquilla argues that “cyber war has arrived” and there needs to be focus on what can be done to control it (Arquilla 4). Arquilla provides examples of cyber attacks that he considers to be instances of cyber war to argue his point. To be considered an act of war, an attack must be potentially violent, purposeful, and political (Lecture 20. Slide 5). Many of the attacks that Arquilla refers to were purposeful and political, making them comparable to specific battles within a war. However, they should not be classified as entire wars by themselves because traditionally war is defined as a period of ongoing conflict and not one specific attack. While cyber war is a possibility, nothing in

Toys can be remarkably important aspects of a child’s growth. They truly do help shape us into how we function as adults. “Research has shown that children’s learning mainly happens through play – and what else is a toy for but to play? When children play with toys, they learn and develop various skills

NYC SPARX Girls and RoboticsThe fischertechnik Mini Bots were met with curiosity and excitement at St. Mary’s Recreation Center in Bronx, New York. Young, female students ranging from grades 6 to 12, gathered

Once this is determined and the robots get the drift of it, the scientist are saying that we will be able to have “nanny” robots. Who in their right mind would leave their child with a computer-controlled machine? I personally would never feel comfortable leaving my child with a robot. Yeah, the robot might be able to get the necessities like getting them food and drinks, but they won’t be able to give the child that “mother” feeling. Try and picture back to when you were a small child. Weren’t you always attached to your parents? Especially your mom? She just had that warm-motherly feeling that you happened to love. Imagine trying to get that same feeling from a robot. It just wouldn’t be the same. Like when you fell down and got hurt, what was the first thing you wanted? Most likely your mom, right? She just automatically made you feel better. There is no way for a child to get that same warm-motherly feeling from a cold, metal, machine. Not only am I worried about the child not feeling comfortable with the robot, but it could also be harmful for the child. What if the robot was changing a diaper or getting the child dressed and the robot has a glitch, it could easily shock and injure the child. There is just no reason for leaving a child under only the supervision of a computer-controlled machine. It just sounds extremely risky to me.

The current generation of children is completely different than the preceding ones. They are living in the digital age. “Technology has blended in with daily activity to become a way of life and children today take for granted all of which is automated. It is hard for kids nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all of the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations that computer technology provides.” (3) “Children in the United States devote some 40 hours a week to television, video games and the Internet.” (12) Many psychologists and researchers are concerned about the impact that technology has on children. Children, tomorrow’s future parents and leaders, are being consumed by the negative effects that technology had on their

innovation could increase the girls’ pride with the doll because of the shared features and participation

In accordance with many decades of cyber evolution, a cybercrime is shown in different ranges of crimes, which depend on the spread of technology and law. From the introduction of computer in the 1960s to the rise of personal computer in 1980s, cybercrime began to appear. The crimes can vary from piracy of software to patent-related crimes. This caused a surge in the introduction of relevant legislation in many countries and international organizations involved. In late 1990s, when Internet and transnational crimes were born, the international community cooperated in many instances such as the passing of the UN General Assembly Resolution 45/121 in 1990 and the manual for the prevention and control of computer-related crimes issued in 1994. Despite all the