Rob Tylershevsky
If you were disappointed about the cancellation of the International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots (LSR) 2018 scheduled to take place in Montana this year, you might be pleased to hear there’s a promising alternative to bookmark for next year, especially if you have a smattering of French language knowledge.
‘Thinking Erobotics: A Transdisciplinary Perspective on Sexual Robotics’ (or ‘Penser l’érobotique : regard transdisciplinaire sur la robotique sexuelle‘, to give it its proper, Francophonic title) takes place next May in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
According to the organizers, the conference will explore ‘the issues, possibilities and consequences of new sexual technologies.’ It will also aim to launch a new academic research discipline, with the rather chic tag of ‘erobotics’, to study these emerging, immersive and interactive sexual technologies in a more integrated fashion.
Symposium Info
The symposium takes place at the 87th congress of the ‘Association francophone pour le savoir’ (ACFAS) on 30-31 May, 2019 at the University of Quebec Outaouais (UQO), Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.
The deadline for expressions of interest is February 11th 2019, 23:59pm.
You may remember that the Love and Sex with Robots (LSR) conference was postponed by the organizers after protests sparked by the inclusion of ex-Breitbart News editor Steve Bannon in the programme. Bannon was due to speak at linked event, the International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment (ACE), taking place in tandem with the LSR in Montana last month.
This new symposium sounds like a useful forum to explore potential collaborations for those working or interested in the growing field of social robotics and applying AI to human sexuality.
And you won’t have to suffer a keynote from former Trump advisor Steve Bannon at this one either, which is always a plus.
For more information, or to express an interest in speaking (in French only) at the event, contact the organizer, Simon Dubé.
For further info, you can check out the conference website, but you’ll need to be able to read some French (or brave Google Translate) for that too.
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