Hello Robot. Design between human and Machine

Hello, Robot. Design Between Human and Machine was a landmark travelling exhibition that ran at MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2019, curated by Amelie Klein, Thomas Geisler, Marlies Wirth, and Fredo de Smet. The exhibition examined the current boom in robotics through more than 200 exhibits from the fields of design and art, including robots used in the home, nursing care, and industry, as well as computer games, media installations, and examples of films and literature featuring robots. Design held a central role in the exhibition's premise, as it is designers who shape the interfaces between humans and machines. The show was structured to guide visitors through four thematic areas. The first traced the long-standing fascination people have had with robots and explored how popular culture has shaped our perception of them. The second focused on the field where robotics first made a breakthrough — industry and the working environment. The third examined how this technology is gradually becoming a presence in everyday life, as a friend and helper in domestic settings. Throughout, the exhibition reflected the ambivalence with which robotics has long been viewed, with the debate about artificial intelligence oscillating between utopian and dystopian visions — between the hope of a better, technologically advanced world and the fear of disempowerment.