New PostCaring Robots in an Aging World: New Research from Japan, Denmark, and Germany

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:20:41 -0400

Caring Robots in an Aging World: New Research from Japan, Denmark, and Germany
Thursday, November 6 | 4:00–5:30 PM | AOK Library Gallery

Join us for an engaging talk with Dr. Shawn Bender, a cultural anthropologist and professor of East Asian Studies at Dickinson College. His research focuses on the impact of robotics on relations of work and care.

The potential of robotics technologies to assist in the care of older adults and people with disabilities has attracted great interest worldwide. To date, few studies have examined the impact of care robots outside of laboratory experiments or short-term field trials. Based on ethnographic research in Japan, Denmark, and Germany, this talk examines the impact of robotics on everyday practices of care as well as the role of robot-assisted care practice in driving technological innovation.

Bonus for attendees: We'll be raffling three copies of Dr. Bender's book, Feeling Machines, during the event!
Cosponsored by the Departments of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health; Asian Studies; Gerontology; Human Contexts of Science and Technology; and the Center for Social Science Scholarship.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.