The legacy of Pierre Jaquet-Droz and his humanoid automata: a Jungian archetypal-interpretivist psychobiography of the writer, draughtsman and musician

Abstract

This psychobiography, in the format of multiple vignettes, aimed to reimagine the humanoid automata of Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721–1790). A highlight of his career was the design of three androids, namely the writer; draughtsman; and musician. These androids were technological creations of ingenuity. Jaquet-Droz’s legacy contributed to the fields of future humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). His androids were purposively sampled due to the lessons and archetypal reimagining they held for Industry 4.0. The psychobiographer analyzed photos, pictures and online video footage as primary data-sources. Relevant historical and bibliographical references served as secondary data-sources. Suited evidence in the data-sources were identified via the use of Alexander’s indicators of thematic salience and were reimagined via an archetypal-interpretivist perspective. Jung posited that archetypes are universal cultural symbols residing in the collective unconscious, manifesting in various human creations. Jaquet-Droz’s androids are reimagined as representations of the creator, child and artist archetypes. They also represent the shadow archetype in that they obscure the differentiation between human and machine, raising existential questions regarding humanity. These androids remind us of how technology can enhance human experience as these androids were designed for both human entertainment and to technologically advance Jaquet-Droz’s watchmaking industry.