'Solarpunk' is an art movement depicting a sustainable future where technology meets nature, the world is at peace and humans collaborate with robots to build a better quality of life. All of these ideals sound very Utopian, but with the fast-paced advancement of technology - and society’s urge to become greener - the future could easily resemble solarpunk if the correct steps are taken.
If robots are envisioned as the turning point to reach this optimistic future, industry is currently heading in the right direction. We have seen robots take the place of pets, nurses, factory and retail workers - including ones that make good conversation. The latter, however, still creates hesitancy among people due to fear of the singularity, a hypothetical point at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable, with irreversible consequences for human civilisation.
This feeling of distress is exactly the opposite of what solarpunk wants to achieve. According...