Robohub.org
 

Revisiting telepresence robots at Robot Film Festival


by
08 July 2014



share this:
hinokio-inter-galactic-love

What happens when you attend school via telepresence robot? This heartwarming Japanese science fiction film is now close to becoming science fact. In spite of winning a swathe of awards in Japan, Hinokio has never been screened in the US and will be premiering at the 4th Annual Robot Film Festival on July 19 at Bot&Dolly in San Francisco. As telepresence robots become affordable and increasingly used in educational settings, Hinokio demonstrates some of the challenges. And benefits of course. Perhaps soon we’ll all be worried about how attractive our robot body is to others.

The Robot Film Festival is an annual celebration of robots on screen and in performance. Now in it’s 4th year, the Robot Film Festival will take place at the studios of Bot & Dolly, creators of the robotic cinematography behind the recent Oscar-winning blockbuster Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The Robot Film Festival was founded in 2011 by Marek Michalowski and Heather Knight to inject both artistry and playfulness into traditional robotic engineering and to explore the frontiers of the human-machine relationship.

What does identity mean when we become our robots? Whether augmenting ourselves with artificial limbs or attending a new school through the eyes of a robot avatar, this year’s Robot Film Festival — including its headliner, performers, and special guests — will draw our attention to the blurry line between humanity and our machines.

The Robot Film Festival is packed with short films about and by robots, followed by a red carpet award ceremony and a performance from Jazari, a cyborg percussion ensemble. Jazari fuses African rhythms and wooden machines with solenoids and stepper motors controlled by a MIDI interface into futuristic Afro-baroque dance music.

Film submissions are open until July 6. Tickets on sale at http://robotfilmfestival. eventbrite.com. For more information, please email info@robotfilmfestival.com.



tags:


Andra Keay is the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Robotics, founder of Women in Robotics and is a mentor, investor and advisor to startups, accelerators and think tanks, with a strong interest in commercializing socially positive robotics and AI.
Andra Keay is the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Robotics, founder of Women in Robotics and is a mentor, investor and advisor to startups, accelerators and think tanks, with a strong interest in commercializing socially positive robotics and AI.

            AUAI is supported by:



Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

AI brings object-level vision prosthetics closer to reality

  23 Jun 2026
Researchers are developing AI models that could one day enable vision prosthetics able to restore meaningful, object-level sight for the blind.

AURA Foresight Reaches Global XPRIZE Wildfire Finals in Alaska

  19 Jun 2026
One of only four teams remaining from more than 130 competitors worldwide, our team AURA Foresight is developing autonomous technology to stop wildfires before they grow out of control. AURA Foresi...

Robot Talk Episode 161 – Collaborative haptic systems, with Allison Okamura

  19 Jun 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Allison Okamura from Stanford University about developing advanced robotic systems for haptic (touch) interaction.

New research enables a robot to chart a better course

  17 Jun 2026
By rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles, the open-source “MIGHTY” system could streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery.

Entangled robotic matter with cohesive motion

  15 Jun 2026
Engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows.

Robot Talk Episode 160 – Robotic blacksmiths, with Edward Mehr

  12 Jun 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Edward Mehr from Machina Labs about their RoboCraftsman that shapes complex metal parts for the aerospace, defence, and automotive industries.

Congratulations to the #AAMAS2026 best paper award winners

  08 Jun 2026
Find out who won in the categories of best paper, best student paper, and best blue sky paper.

Robot Talk Episode 159 – Robot sensing and manipulation, with Maria Koskinopoulou

  05 Jun 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Maria Koskinopoulou from Heriot-Watt University about autonomous robotic manipulators for surgery, industry, and beyond.



AUAI is supported by:







Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence