Why are so many robots white?

[cbabe]

https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-robots-white-213336

Why are so many robots white?

Published: January 26, 2024 8:17am EST
Mark Paterson, University of Pittsburgh

Problems of racial and gender bias in artificial intelligence algorithms and the data used to train large language models like ChatGPT have drawn the attention of researchers and generated headlines. But these problems also arise in social robots, which have physical bodies modeled on nonthreatening versions of humans or animals and are designed to interact with people.

The aim of the subfield of social robotics called socially assistive robotics is to interact with ever more diverse groups of people. Its practitioners’ noble intention is “to create machines that will best help people help themselves,” writes one of its pioneers, Maja Matarić. The robots are already being used to help people on the autism spectrum, children with special needs and stroke patients who need physical rehabilitation.

But these robots do not look like people or interact with people in ways that reflect even basic aspects of society’s diversity. As a sociologist who studies human-robot interaction, I believe that this problem is only going to get worse. Rates of diagnoses for autism in children of color are now higher than for white kids in the U.S. Many of these children could end up interacting with white robots.

So, to adapt the famous Twitter hashtag around the Oscars in 2015, why #robotssowhite?

…more…call this “the poverty of the engineered imaginary.”…

[global1]

1. I Was Expecting A Punchline.....nt

[geardaddy]

5. Me too! LOL

[Ferrets are Cool]

9. Any punchline would have been better than what we got.

[struggle4progress]

39. "So they can blend in with the elephants hiding in the cherry trees"

[Amishman]

2. Most hardware is black or white

robots, particularly larger more advanced ones, can make people uncomfortable.

Of the two common hardware colors

Black has negative associations in most western cultures, as well as some middle eastern, and eastern cultures. It's semi instinctive as black is the color of night.

White has positive or peaceful associations in many cultures.

It makes sense to use white for the color of robots as an attempt to minimize fear / unease.

[ZonkerHarris]

4. A black metal robot is a weapon of war. we have been taught this by scifi movies

[cbabe]

8. Star Wars stormtroopers.

[ZonkerHarris]

20. are not robots

[cbabe]

21. I'm suggesting their color. the other (color) hand, there's Darth Vader, classic black hat bad guy.

[ZonkerHarris]

22. so to make your point about robots your chose two examples that are not robots.

You did not make the debate team in HS or college, right?

[marble falls]

23. Mmmm ... maybe just a tad over the top? We never spiked our note cards after we won an agument in debate.

[ZonkerHarris]

24. won? Hmmm doubtful

[marble falls]

25. You both made points. And your last crack was not necessary. Just saying.

[ZonkerHarris]

28. Welcome to the internet!

and they did not make a valid point

[edisdead]

32. I did get thenpoint that some of the bad guys were dressed in white

That was the point.

Yes they are clones but that wasn’t thenpoint being made. It was regarding bad guys being portrayed in black.

Interesting point though, the storm troopers WERE originally good guys when they were white clone troopers before palpatine took control of them.

[ZonkerHarris]

33. in a discussion about robots why are you both talking about humans? Not comparable

Thanks for playing.
Collect your consolation prize

[edisdead]

34. You missed the other point being made

There was another point being made about color in general (outside of robots) being closely held to black and white and for other reasons than race.
Thats how conversations work. They grow and expand and spur other ideas. In this case it started with the color of robots and instead of focusing solely on the robot aspect it delved into the role of color and why that may or may not be. The stormtrooper versus Vader angle came about )most of us understood that we were then talking about color at this point. However, as Obi-wan noted he is more machine than man….

Thanks for trying to keep up.

[cbabe]

6. White like the iPhone. But easing who's fears? If multi racial dolls are finally

accepted and manufactured and necessary why not the same for robots?

[Amishman]

7. Why make it about race at all?

When the relational explanation has nothing to do with skin colors

[cbabe]

10. Because it's important: How black kids see race

https://theconversation.com/what-i-learned-when-i-recreated-the-famous-doll-test-that-looked-at-how-black-kids-see-race-153780

What I learned when I recreated the famous ‘doll test’ that looked at how Black kids see race
Published: February 22, 2021 8:24am EST

Toni Sturdivant, Texas A&M University-Commerce

Back in the 1940s, Kenneth and Mamie Clark – a husband-and-wife team of psychology researchers – used dolls to investigate how young Black children viewed their racial identities.

They found that given a choice between Black dolls and white dolls, most Black children preferred to play with white dolls. They ascribed positive characteristics to the white dolls but negative characteristics to the Black ones. Then, upon being asked to describe the doll that looked most like them, some of the children became “emotionally upset at having to identify with the doll that they had rejected.”

The Clarks concluded that Black children – as a result of living in a racist society – had come to see themselves in a negative light.
acteristics to the Black ones. Then, upon being asked to describe the doll that looked most like them, some of the children became “emotionally upset at having to identify with the doll that they had rejected.”

I first heard about the Clark’s experiment with preschool children during a Black studies class in college in the early 2000s. But it wasn’t until one of my daughters came home from preschool one day in 2017 talking about how she didn’t like being Black that I decided to create the doll test anew.

…more…

[Amishman]

18. There's enough real racism without inventing some

Robots color isn't about race.

If everything becomes a matter of race - then nothing is. Silly fringe cases / arguments like this one about robot colors undermines the real areas where we still have big problems (like our criminal justice system). It becomes 'the activists who cried wolf racist!' and everyone stops caring.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. So - they can use

Them for white children on the spectrum.

But is it worth the expense when they are no longer the default setting in America? Meaning a lot of money thrown at a problem for a rapidly dwindling population?

That just doesn't make sense.

[Igel]

38. Others have tried to replicate Clarks' studies.

Not all got the same results. In one rather well published and intensely vetted case, "sharply different" was the phrase used to describe the difference.

A high schooler got the same results ... But that was a goal, and science isn't about showing you're right, it's about trying to show you're wrong. Ideally. Like ideals matter in a sharply polarized environment.

[cbabe]

42. Or a lively discussion . (sharply polarized environment.)

[edisdead]

35. Ah geez now we are talking about ohones?

Someone in this thread is going to be so upset!

[eppur_se_muova]

12. I wish they wouldn't make most internal computer parts black/dark. They tend to blend together.

I need a flashlight for almost every trivial repair or upgrade, even in a well-lit room during daylight hours. Even the external connectors (USB ports, I'm looking at you) tend to be so dark you can't tell which side is which, so the quickest thing is to try it both ways, which is frustrating.

Yet video monitor connectors are all blue or white. Go figure.

I suspect carbon black is the cheapest coloring agent around, so we're stuck with it. Though I note a lot of PBT connectors (small digital connectors) are almost exclusively white.

[IcyPeas]

11. When I picture a robot it's silver. Maybe its a generational thing.

[Hekate]

14. ... And male ...

[LeftInTX]

46. Do they have "the male thing"?

Heck, I've never seen a real life robot...

I'm being deprived....

[republianmushroom]

15. Because many other colors would be offensive to many groups of people.

[cbabe]

16. Do you mean brown or African robots would be offensive? To whom? White is

the global default?

[Hotler]

17. Aren't robots used in manufacturing (auto assembly, etc.) safety yellow? nt

[cbabe]

19. Article is mostly not discussing manufacturing robots but humanoid ones.

‘…social scientists, interaction designers and engineers can work together to produce more cross-cultural sensitivity in gestures and touch, for example.

Such work promises to make human-robot interaction less scary and uncanny, especially for people who need assistance from the new breeds of socially assistive robots.‘

[Melon]

26. I thought this was a joke...

We aren’t actually white. My car is white. I’m not white. Not close.

[cbabe]

27. Are you a robot? C-3PO is not white either.

[cbabe]

29. Article also touches on cultural diversity not only color.

‘One of the persistent threads in that collaboration and other work is just how much people’s bodies communicate to others through gesture and expression, as well as vocalization, and how this differs between cultures. In which case, making robots’ appearance reflect the diversity of people who benefit from their presence is one thing, but what about diversifying forms of interaction? Along with making robots less universally white and female, social scientists, interaction designers and engineers can work together to produce more cross-cultural sensitivity in gestures and touch, for example.’

[edisdead]

31. Jesus fuck. Seriously?

I got nothing.

[TheBlackAdder]

69. To better contrast the blood splatters of their owners when the robots chop them up in their sleep.

[brooklynite]

36. Why are so many Apple products white?

Because its a color that suggests modernism?

[cbabe]

37. Maybe. Like white doctor's coats?

‘r skin. Robotics teams are therefore constrained by design choices that the original developers made (Aldebaran for Pepper, Italian Institute of Technology for iCub). These design choices tend to follow the clinical, clean look with shiny white plastic, similar to other technology products like the original iPod.’

[LeftInTX]

40. Why are all my kitchen appliances, computer tower, keyboard, monitor, and TV black?????????

I don't have a robot.

I do have white walls in my house, should I paint them? I'm so confused.

Also why are the rocks and dust in South Texas white? Why are fossilized shells white? Why is calcium white? Why are my bones white?
It's a conspiracy!!! It's the Texas KKK at work!!!

What if all robots were black?????

[cbabe]

41. I don't know. Why? But

my mom had a black cat robot which purred when stroked. She was deep into Alzheimer’s and thought the cat was real. She loved her black cat robot; it made her happy,

[Polybius]

44. In the 80's and 90's, computer desktops/towers, keyboards, monitors & mice were beige

Why did the color change? Any theories? I have no idea, other than maybe one company put out a black one and people loved it?

[LeftInTX]

45. This needs to be investigated!!!

But, it brings up another question:
Where did all the brown wood paneling go???
Was it discrimination??
Or was wood paneling insulting???

https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/14314/why-were-most-pcs-and-electronics-beige-back-in-the-day#:~:text=Black%20equipment%20became%20a%20lot,of%20became%20the%20new%20standard.

[cbabe]

47. Out of town with the green shag carpetingz

[Mossfern]

43. Practicality?

My kitchen cabinets are white so it's easier to keep them clean.
Color does not necessarily mean race. As long as people think that way, there will be racism.

[cbabe]

48. The article is not only about color but cultural differences.

[Mossfern]

54. That can be individually programmed

into the racially nondescript robot.

I really do need to apologize to people here, but I think this discussion is like discussions of how many fairies can dance on the head of a pin. It could be my age, I suppose.

[cbabe]

73. The article is pointing out the obvious that

programming is historically mostly a white male enterprise. Bias in algorithms are well-known.

The challenge is to diversify programming to Include all cultures. It’s not as simple as a white plastic cover although that is a good metaphor, but all aspects such as gestures, speech patterns, etc.

[Maru Kitteh]

49. Who will be the likely purchasing agents?

It’s always about the money.

[cbabe]

50. Try searching: robot examples medicine. Or other fields of interest such as autism, elder care, etc.

Example:

https://www.reuters.com › article › idUSKBN1H33AB

Aging Japan: Robots may have role in future of elder care

The Japanese government has been funding development of elder care robots to help fill a projected shortfall of 380,000

[LeftInTX]

61. My granddaughter is autistic. There is no robot in her life!

I think they would scare her no matter what their color.

But I did find this. If robots become more part of lives, we would want them to look more life like and doll like.
I can see my granddaughter playing with a doll-like robot.

A sterile plastic assistive blob can be creepy, no matter the color. I'm sure cost is a factor in producing aesthetic robots.



https://www.slj.com/story/a-robot-teaches-social-emotional-learning-to-kids-with-autism

[eShirl]

51. How about Father (Abubakar Salim) in "Raised By Wolves?"

My favorite character in that short-lived sci fi series.

[TygrBright]

52. I think they should be fuschia, cobalt, chartreuse, lemon, puce, and other colors.

I mean, stop pretending they're going to "relate" to humans. Let's start color conventions based on FUNCTION, and design based on function.

Stop trying to mimic humanity. We ain't done so great at being non-threatening to each other as it is.

wearily,
Bright

[Progressive dog]

53. People don't have white skin like robots.

These are machines, so they should look like machines, and they do.

[SoFlaBro]

60. Exactly. Such an odd premise of headline and fucking questioning.

[Maninacan]

55. white Robots

I have been around factory Robots which are white for visibility and ability to keep clean,(medical)
In the grocery store this morning was a red and blue robot named after the stores founder,

[malaise]

56. Why were dolls all white for so long

We live on a sick planet. Funny how the vast majority of the world's population is not white. Power is one hell of a thing.

[Orrex]

57. Perhaps developers are reluctant to be perceived

as the first to manufacture a line of automated black servants.

There’s also the matter of cost; at present these expensive toys for the most part, and developers may be designing their robots to match the aesthetic preferences of the demographic they judge to be most likely to buy.

[LeftInTX]

62. Or the developers didn't read this thread???

[Dr. Strange]

63. Considering the etymology of the word "robot"

from Czech robotnik "forced worker," from robota "forced labor, compulsory service, drudgery," from robotiti "to work, drudge," from an Old Czech source akin to Old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude," from rabu "slave" (from Old Slavic *orbu-, from PIE *orbh- "pass from one status to another;"
from: https://www.etymonline.com/word/robot

I think making the robots white is probably for the best.

[Orrex]

66. Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.

Heretic..

[Dr. Strange]

71. Heretic?

I didn't spend four years at Mentat University just to get called a heretic by some spice smuggling punk!

[Emile]

58. If Trump owns one it would be piss colored.

[Shipwack]

59. Not all robots are white...

?si=GLU6Nb9EdEDlMZzq

[GoneOffShore]

64. Nothing like looking for something that really isn't there.

This thread needs more popcorn. And cowbell.

[jalan48]

65. Meanwhile our white glaciers are melting and exposing black rock.

[EX500rider]

67. Elon Musk's robot is black...lol

https://nypost.com/2024/01/31/tech/elon-musk-takes-teslas-life-size-robot-optimus-for-a-test-walk-kill-it-with-fire/

[limbicnuminousity]

68. Yet Scarlett Johansson evolved into a black computer protected by Morgan Freeman in Lucy.

The meaning and import of cultural symbols shift in odd and unpredictable ways.

[Orrex]

74. I saw that documentary!

[EX500rider]

70. I see this as a no win situation

Black robots: "Oh, so servants should be black, eh?! racism!"

White robots: "Racism! why aren't they robots of color??"

[Sympthsical]

72. You can't just ask robots why they're white