For all robotic aficionados, this popped up within the June 7, 2026, morning version of JSTOR Day by day, highlighting an article written in Could by Livia Gershon:
“Did the First Robotic Come from Oz?”
In that case, then I nominate it for the title of “The Nice Grandad of Artificially Clever Robots” and have gained a newfound appreciation for foundational literature reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz sequence.
I by no means considered The Wizard of Oz (e-book or film) as a bit of science fiction, however this text has me now appreciating it as such.
What Frank Baum, in 1907, created has engaged the minds of individuals throughout many generations. With the 1939 launch of the now basic (and endlessly rebroadcasted) movie on via the superb rebirth of the story at The Sphere in Las Vegas, the Tin Man has turn into a main instance of how we expect an clever robotic ought to look—and behave.
Distinction this with the dystopian view offered within the basic film made by Fritz Lang in 1927, Metropolis.
Sure, habits issues in how we consider robotic purposes right this moment, particularly with the rise of the dialogue about robotic “warriors” getting used as substitutes for people in navy conflicts. Did The Terminator movie sequence give momentum to this initiative? The Tin Man was useful to Dorothy and mates. Will this carry ahead into the way forward for AI-infused robotic deployments? Or will we be working and hiding from a Terminator.
Concerning the Writer
Tim Lindner develops multimodal expertise options (voice / augmented actuality / RF scanning) that concentrate on assembly or exceeding logistics and provide chain clients’ productiveness enchancment goals. He will be reached at linkedin.com/in/timlindner.
