Roboticists on Isaac Asimov and the Human-Robot Relationship

The new movie "I, Robot," based on Isaac Asimov's 1950 book of the same title and starring Will Smith, topped the box office on its opening weekend.

But Asimov and Hollywood diverge over robots. Asimov anticipated virtuous helpmates for humans. Hollywood robots tend to be revealed as Frankenstein monsters gone wrong. With real world robotics now plunging ahead, the issue is no longer exactly hypothetical.

Click one of the "Listen" links to hear leading roboticists talk about Isaac Asimov's vision and the future of the human-robot relationship.

Guests:

Helen Greiner, co-founder and chairman, iRobot Corporation

Rosalind Picard, associate professor of media arts and sciences and co-director of "Things That Think" at the MIT Media Lab

Dan Koditschek, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, University of Michigan