FROM PAGES TO PLACES: SITUATING KELLY ET AL.’S THE ROBOT ZOO: A MECHANICAL GUIDE TO THE WAY ANIMALS WORK IN REAL-LIFE CONTEXT

Abstract

The Robot Zoo: A Mechanical Guide to the Way Animals Work (1994), written by John Kelly, Dr. Philip Whitfield and Obin, consists of textual descriptions and visual images of sixteen robot animals. Among them, my discussion of Giraffe, Platypus and Rhino highlights the fact that they are endangered animals who are facing extinction due to climate change, human encroachment, poaching, illegal trade, and a lack of biodiversity. Although my other subjects of discussion such as House Fly, Grasshopper, Chameleon and Bat do not necessarily face any immediate extinction, this paper shows how scientists are using the heights and zips of these flying beings for wildlife conservation and construction engineering, even raising the possibilities of conserving real-life giraffes, rhinos, and platypuses. Therefore, in my paper, I prove that the more people watch and interact with electronic animatrons on display in robot zoo exhibitions, the more informed they will be about conservation, extinction, and the global climate crisis.