A Survey of Androids and Audiences: 285 BCE to the present day

This historical survey reviews incidences and popularity of mechanical humans from Ptolemaic Alexandria to the present day. These devices were of special interest in the Enlightenment as models of a Mechanistic self, as artistic and scientific spectacles, and as entertainment devices. Historical mass audiences may not have shared the negative associations held by audiences of today; however intense responses to android displays have been documented. The project finds that audience response is informed by a wide variety of factors that should be considered together when determining the depth of uncanniness present in a device. Therefore, the project explores issues related to the philosophical interpretation, imagery, and social contexts of android automata.