With the creation of the fully functional and conversational Phillip K. Dick Robot over the summer, The FedEx Institute of Technology realized one of society's great questions: Are the human body and mind capable of duplication?
Now, with their first annual symposium being held tonight and Friday, the Institute wants to share their success and explore the technical and ethical issues that surround artificial intelligence.
"The theme of this symposium is 'We Can Build You,'" said Craig Grossman, interim executive director of the FIT. "We felt that a symposium would be the best way for us to celebrate and explore a theme that cuts across various academic fields."
The event will begin at 4:45 p.m. with a presentation of the film "Blade Runner," which was based on the Phillip K. Dick short story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" A discussion entitled "Science Fiction and the Motion Picture," led by Mike Hawley and featuring various panelists, will follow.
"I'm interested in the use of still photos in motion pictures," said Lawrence Jasud, associate professor in the art department and one of the featured panelists. "I will discuss elements you can learn from a still photo as opposed to the elements you can learn from a moving photo.
"This symposium will be great because it will address the issue of robotics, but it will also address the issue of art and technology and how they relate, which is something that I support," he said.
Executive director Craig Grossman will also give a welcome speech.
"Tonight will be the fun night," Grossman said. "It will be a chance for the people here who have been working so hard to celebrate and let go."
Friday will consist of four discussions featuring various panelists and covering topics such as roboethics, biotechnology, hardware, software and creating art in a high-tech world.
"I will be discussing implant material and how it is used to replace damaged or diseased tissue," said Joel Bumgardner, associate professor of biomedical engineering. "I know this program is trying to highlight the advancements in biomedical engineering and I think that the city of Memphis is in a position to be a leader in biotechnology because of all the hospitals. This is a nice way to let the community know what is going on."
Friday will also feature a keynote speech from biomechatronics researcher Hugh Herr, who will be visiting from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology media lab.
"Hugh Herr is a fantastic scientist and human," Grossman said. "He is a double-amputee mountain climber who has designed and created some amazing prosthetic devices which aid him. He has an amazing story."
The Institute has experienced an incredible year of success this past year and they plan to continue leading the South in interdisciplinary research and development into the next year.
"It has been a very exciting year for us," Grossman said. "The gift of $5 million from FedEx has been amazing and has given us the ability to do great things."
The Institute has a full calendar of upcoming events including different film series and an honors program that will give students the opportunity to participate in the labs.
This event is free an open to anyone interested, but you must register at www.fedex.memphis.edu/symposium/index.shtml or call 901-678-5105.
