SCIENCE FICTION OR NOT?

IST ASSESSMENT #3- TASK 1

SCIENCE FICTION OR NOT?

In today’s society, the film industry produces a wide range of movies in which science fiction is a mass genre that movies are based and categorized upon. Examples of these science fiction movies are Transformers, I, Robot, Star Wars and the Terminator. In general terms, science fiction is a genre of fiction incorporating content that is futuristic, non-existent and of imaginative settings, technology, life and abilities. With saying this it can be said that none of these movies depict real robotic technology in which society is developing, implementing and using today except for some exceptions. Robotic technology in current today’s society is used for a number of reasons, commonly in the areas of industry, domestic, military and astronomy.

INDUSTRIAL WELDING ROBOT REMOTE VACUUM (DOMESTIC ROBOT)

  







MARS ROVER



In the first movie “Transformers” by Michael Bay, the movie is focused on the setting around an augmented reality in which the Autobots and Decepticon machines have come down to Earth from Cybertron many light years away. The transformers in the movie are depicted as alien form robots with mammoth capabilities that are able to transform into human everyday living machinery/vechiles. In terms of today’s technologies, these computerized abilities are currently non-existent and have been brought forward based upon fictional ideas from the Transformers comic series by Marvel. The Transformers movie is said to have a particular focus on military propaganda which is the criticism of our current military technology and the comparison to make belief ideas presented by the movie producers and cast.

In the second movie, I, Robot by Alex Proyas, it was a dystopian science fiction movie that is set in the year 2035. The movie is set in futuristic Chicago, USA with it set around the scene of anthropomorphic robots engaging in everyday human tasks and acting as servants to humans to complete jobs wherever required. In reference to the current use of adaptive robots, these types of robots are aimed at the purpose of taking output from their systems and using this as feedback to control behaviours and take out tasks. In I, Robot these robots placed into the movies settings are anthropomorphic robots in which means they inherit characteristics of human attributes and feelings. Robots today do not have the ability to take upon this ability of anthropomorphism which in reflection I, Robot can also be seen as a science fiction movie based upon people’s ideas, not actual reality. The reasons for this is because robots are not currently used for human labour purposes, have the ability to have free control and take on human attributes because in the movie the robots are all the same and are of mass production in the movie.

In the third movie(s), the Star Wars series by George Lucas, the story is set in “a galaxy far, far away” that is based around episodes of conflict between the Jedi force (the good) and the Sith (the villains) equipped with light sabers and beam guns with the appearance of robotic machines such as R2-D2 and C-3PO. With the series saga (Episodes 1-6) made between the years of 1977-2005, all of these robotic and advanced technology weapons and machines are currently not available for use by any individual on Earth in society today. In evaluation the robotic technologies shown in Star Wars are of science fiction except for one technology in Star Wars in which is the 360 degree hologram displays that were shown in most episodes of Star Wars. In 2008, the CNN news network in America used the hologram technology for the first time and had used it during a broadcast of the American election speaking to a politician on the other end of the communication line of that time. The hologram technology as of 2008 has been used by many groups including CNN to a wide extent. In the case of hologram technology, once depicted in the science fiction film Star Wars has become reality as it is used by many groups of people to make communication between other people.

In the final movie “The Terminator” by James Cameron, this movie is again a science fiction film that is based around a super machine called the Terminator, who is a cyborg alien assassin sent back in time from the year 2029 to 1984 in Los Angeles, USA. There are many robotic technologies presented in Terminator including the artificial intelligence human like machines called “Terminators”, nuclear holocausts and un-natural robotic abilities. In today’s society, nearly all of these technologies are currently unavailable to human reach or are in development although obtaining to the terminator cyborgs, the replaceable cyborg parts that the terminator is made of has been implemented into medical research and specifically for the replacement of non-healable/non-recoverable human limbs. In 2012, scientists have managed to develop robotic prostheses that are prosthetic limbs that are programmed and controlled by human thoughts (the brain).

In conclusion, the film industries many science fiction movies such as Transformers, I, Robot, the Star Wars series and the Terminator that have depicted a substantial amount of robotic technology that is simply based upon science fiction ideas of film makers and its cast. Some of these technologies include alien form robots, anthropomorphic robots, light sabers, beam guns and alien assassin cyborgs able to travel back in time. Although much science fiction content is just based off fictional ideas, there have been some cases in inventions of science fiction material that has been implemented as real technology in today’s society such as hologram technology and robotic prostheses. In my point of view, if many of these current, non-existing technologies/weapons were to be implemented for use in today’s society, they would have a major negative effect on many groups and individuals with technologies; for e.g. nuclear holocausts. If nuclear holocaust bombs were to become in the possession of the wrong group of people such as the Taliban or the North Korean army, they could potentially wipe out the entire human race!

ARTICLES, VIDEO AND IMAGE LINKS:

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIo0ZjgvSZw

-http://news.yahoo.com/science-fiction-coming-closer-reality-151200549.html

-http://www.theageoftransitions.com/index.php/articlesbutton/111-its-not-science-fiction-its-military-propaganda

-http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/08/08/elysium-alien-terminator-blade-runner-star-wars-tech/2482907/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Automation_of_foundry_with_robot.jpg

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roomba_original.jpg
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Martian_rover_Curiosity_using_ChemCam_Msl20111115_PIA14760_MSL_PIcture-3-br2.jpg
- https://www.google.com.au/search?rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=Transformers&gws_rd=cr&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=NTg6Uq_UJOiUiQf3-4HYDA#hl=en&q=Transformers+movie+poster&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&safe=active&tbm=isch&um=1&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=-93L0HNuoNzivM%3A%3B4VueF3Xj4Fjr9M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages4.wikia.nocookie.net%252F__cb20110112225544%252Ftransformers%252Fimages%252F8%252F89%252FPrime-Sam-Mikaela-poster.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftransformers.wikia.com%252Fwiki%252FTransformers_%28film%29%3B1125%3B1667
- https://www.google.com.au/search?rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=i+robot&gws_rd=cr&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=fjg6Uo3XOOKAiQf0kICwCQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=48szJ60YBZ95aM%3A%3BpdDmjukFJpeNzM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.kurzweilai.net%252Fimages%252Fi-robot1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.kurzweilai.net%252Fi-robot-2%3B336%3B475
-https://www.google.com.au/search?rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=star+wars&gws_rd=cr&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=yjg6UoK6Gsa0iQe2lICgDQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=bcBe3H_1dW44hM%3A%3BNf_ySeAg3fX7YM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fsciencefiction.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F06%252Fstar-wars-wallpaper-5.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fsciencefiction.com%252F2013%252F06%252F20%252Fnew-star-wars-animated-series-will-focus-on-teen-rebels%252F%3B1024%3B768
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Terminator1984movieposter.jpg