Skip to Content

Are Friends Electric?

A robot reads a book to a boy and a girl

Our digital lives theme

What’s on offer?

What makes someone a friend? Is it possible to have friends that aren’t humans? Can a robot be a friend? In this interactive exhibition, visitors will get to ask these questions while meeting various robots.

What’s it about?

The exhibition will highlight different things that we often associate with friendship, including emotion, trust, play, conversation, and touch. Visitors will receive an ‘investigators pack’ to learn about these themes from research into humans and robots, and they’ll be able to use this pack to conduct their own research into whether a robot can be a friend. The event will also help visitors to ask whether robot friends are a good or bad thing, and what the future might hold for friendship!

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Scott Midson, Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Digital Theology – I research what it is to be human and how technologies like robots might reflect or change that.

Open to

Children of all ages – particularly young people aged 8-15 – are welcome to attend

Of particular interest to

This event is open to everyone with an interest in robots!

Event Booking details

No need to book - just come along. This event is part of the Festival of Social Science Activity Trail at Salford Museum & Art Gallery.

TRAVEL: There is limited parking at the venue and we recommend travelling by public transport. The nearest train station is Salford Crescent (2 minute walk) and the nearest bus stops are Salford University, Salford Crescent station stop A or B. More information to help you plan your journey can be found on the Salford Museum website.

ACCESSIBILITY: To help you plan your visit you can find information about Salford Museum acessiblity here. To find out more about what to expect when you arrive at the museum, you can also check out their social story. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us by emailing scott.midson@manchester.ac.uk.