As a child, Heather Knight planned on combining careers in banking and ballet. “I was never good at focusing on just one discipline.” Today she is a social roboticist, bringing together a background in computer science with an interest in the arts and social sciences to develop futurist androids that interact with people.
She loves the idea of “charismatic machines” and dreams of creating social robots that will clean our homes, take care of ageing parents – a theme explored in the film, Robot and Frank – and give the isolated comfort and companionship.
Yet this is some way off. Most robots remain fairly mechanical, unable to interpret subtle non-verbal gestures and behave in some incredibly antisocial ways. Robots that are deployed by hospitals, for example, to carry sheets and medical supplies across wards may be able to navigate their way around the corridors but can still cut in front of patients.