What is the role for these objects?
These objects have a definite role in nursing homes. In addition to being a potential emotional outlet for very lonely patients, they can fulfill a role that supplements the physical element that caregivers provide. Two examples in the reading include giving reminders to take medications and calling a nurse (pg. 98). Robots that can recognize patients and address them by name would also lead to a more rewarding emotional connection.
Using the robots to automate and augment both emotional and physical care would lead to happier residents and less stressed staffed in overworked facilities. In any event, the precarious position these objects occupy between machine and seeming sentience must be managed thoughtfully. In fact, Turkle, et al note that detailed studies are necessary to increase "the opportunities for the social sciences to inform the design of robots in ways that will enhance human experience" (pg. 87). While these objects may serve as tools that improve peoples' circumstances, I think they can also be used to more thoroughly discover what peoples' emotional needs are and to find better ways for people to communicate and relate to one another. There are fundamental questions about what it means to be human, and while these devices can shed light on that question, and perhaps make someone's life easier, the essential issue of personhood should never be forgotten.
This reading reinforced for me the realization that art is a kind of philosophy and psychology. As the author writes, "the Rorschach response gives priority to the psychological; attention to the evocative power of objects puts the emphasis on philosophy" (pg. 87).
I think you made an interesting point about how the robots can be used to understand what people's emotional needs are. I can see them being used in the future as a tool to help kids who have had a traumatic experience. This could give the parents a better idea of how they should be treating their child and how to support them.
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