Episode description

Topic: "The World's First Robotic Psychiatrist" (Part 1)

Joanne Pransky has spent decades working to alert people to the impact that robots will eventually have on their lives. Dubbed "the real Susan Calvin" by Isaac Asimov in 1989, Joanne's lifelong mission has been to prepare the world for living and working with robots on a daily basis by humorously discussing these social issues at national and international conferences, and by appearing on numerous television shows and film documentaries with her robot 'patients'. Joanne served as the senior sales and marketing executive for Sankyo Robotics, a world-leading manufacturer of industrial robot systems, including the ROBODOC® Surgical Assistant, a computer-controlled surgical robot utilized in hip and knee replacement surgeries. She has been the U.S. Associate Editor for Emerald, publisher of Industrial Robot, Assembly Automation, and Sensor Review since 1996. Joanne was the Director of Marketing and one of the principals of the world's first medical robotics journal, The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, which was acquired by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Her present role with the Journal is Managing Editor. She also worked with The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show on a segment featuring the Chinese Twin Android. Joanne was an official judge on the TV series of live robotic combat, "Comedy Central Sports Presents BattleBots." She has also appeared on CNN, The Tonight Show, the Discovery Channel, MSN.com, and the NTV Russian Broadcasting Channel. She is known for her humor and unique ability to generate enthusiasm for the future of robotics.

[News Item] This is the nine year anniversary episode of The Future And You. The first episode went public on December 15, 2005. The show's descriptive website www.TheFutureAndYou.com has been completely redesigned. In addition to information about the show, and some photos of your host interviewing people, it now features a very long--yet still very partial--list of the more than 350 people interviewed for the show during the last nine years.

Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the December 17, 2014 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 38 minutes] This interview was recorded using Skype on December 3, 2014.

Stephen Euin Cobb has interviewed over 350 people for his work as an author, futurist, magazine writer and award-winning podcaster. A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor for Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen's Universe Magazine. For the last nine years he has produced a weekly podcast, The Future And You, which explores (through interviews, panel discussions and commentary) all the ways the future will be different from today. He is an artist, essayist, game designer, transhumanist, and is on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation. Stephen is the author an ebook about the future entitled: Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science.