{"product_id":"automata-paperback","title":"Automata - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBrian Stableford\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1737, French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson (1709-1782) constructed a life-sized automaton known as the Flute Player, which established him as a pioneer in the field. It was swiftly followed by a Tambourine Player and the Digesting Duck.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Vaucanson's endeavors in matters of industrial automation are largely forgotten, but the ingenious toys he built in order to advertize his skills, have become legendary. His story inspired writers of speculative fiction fascinated by the idea of humanoid automata. The idea of machines successfully mimicking human form, and perhaps human emotions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By the time most of the 14 stories included in this anthology were written, in the latter part of the 19th century, Vaucanson's legacy was evident everywhere, with small clockwork automata being mass-produced. But the French authors who produced stories of automata invariably referenced Vaucanson in their flights of fancy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We now live in a world where sophisticated machinery has transformed industrial endeavor, and robots equipped with artificial intelligence are achieving a remarkable sophistication. That does not mean, however, that the notions developed and extrapolated in these pioneering works of fiction have become redundant. They are tales told by seers ahead of their time, to whom the modern world gives every right to say \"I told you so,\" and who posed a host of questions that require answers far more urgently now than when they were written. \u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 344\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.77 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 01, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52542809112883,"sku":"9781612279343","price":45.81,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/NUQvZVNFUURSNkVMRjZwbzA2NlhzQT09.webp?v=1760914629","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/automata-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}