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A new festival was born in 2021 in Acquitaine, France. France has annually many festivals, almost all over the country. Just the South-West never had anything, hence Hypermondes, a name based on one of Régis Messac's books.

As is classic with most SFFF-festivals in France, an anthology completes the whole. This first focuses on robots. This first anthology is unlike any other, as it combines short stories, contemporary and older ones, interviews, articles about various aspects and situations (political, societal, ...) involving robots, and more.
In that respect, it is a valuable document, even it covers only a selection of the history and concept of robots/automatons/... However, nowadays, robot(ic)s are used in a wide variety of sectors: manufacturing, transport, hospitals, retirement homes, and so much more.

Not every story, on the other hand, was as good as the other. Use of robot(ic)s is wide and varied, but here, the focus was rather limited, and a wee bit too much anthropomorphising. Not every robot/automaton/... is an android or should be represented as a human or with human aspects. In this respect, we're nearing the eternal discussion between creationism evolution theory.
And this is another vital question being asked or put forward: Do robots have rights? Do robots have the same rights as human beings? Can robots be treated like human beings? Which kinds of robots? Etc.

A previous document I read (and recommend) involving robots is is Les Robots, by Marc Atallah and Frédéric Jaccaud, of the Swiss Maison d'Ailleurs.

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Table of contents: (source: NooSFere)
01) Natacha Vas-Deyres - « Nous nous battrons avec nos rêves »
A little foreword about the president of this new festival and particularly involving this anthology.

02) Catherine Dufour - Un être plus rationnel
Not a story, but a take on the intelligence, the rationality of a robot/android. As Ms Dufour writes, we haven't met any android in real life, as they (or in their robot-form) are mostly used in plants/factories. But what if they ever are used in other domains and act as (or more) rationally as a human being? Are we prepared to accept that or will we try to not let them rise and "beat" us? She offers no answer, as the future is unclear and so much is still to be arranged, set up, converted into laws, ...

03) Pierre Bordage - Trinquerons-nous un jour avec un robot ?
No short story this time by the great Bordage, but a small article in which he imagines the robot (android? Humanoid?) as a future colleague with whom you could go and have a drink, like many human beings do.

04) Fabrice Carré - Entretien croisé sur la genèse du festival Hypermondes: Entretien avec André-François Ruaud & Franck Selsis & Natacha Vas-Deyres
Interview with the main progenitors of the festival:
* Natacha Vas-Deyres, teacher and researcher at the university of Bordeaux Montaigne.
* Franck Selsis, astrophysicist and research director at CNRS in Bordeaux.
* André Ruaud, director of Les Moutons Électriques, author, ...

05) Collectif - Coups de cœur
An small selection of recommended works (books, comics, films, ...), presented by each member of the team behind the festival.

06) Léo Noël - Quelques recommandations
Léo Noël is member of the team of Hypermondes, presents some of the works he discovered or found crucial around the theme of robots/androids/cyborgs. There's Stephen King, but also various other, less-known authors.

07) Marthe Maldidier - Hommes mécaniques et pantins vivants (À la manière de Maître Hilarius)
A short story about a man who created a mechanical man, acting like a human being. Now, its owner wants to create a female counterpart, yet is advised to not do so. The mechanic man manages to express itself, though programmed to do so, until a... mechanical problem arises. A bit like how some men have difficulty expressing themselves properly. So yes, a bit of humour to counter the heavier texts in this book.

08) Estelle Faye - Le Sujet de l'expérience
Either a robot/android is made human-like in looks and behaviour, or you turn it into a human being by clothing it like others, so that there is no distinction between the looks of a human being and an android/robot. However, does the robot really want this? Doesn't she have the right of free will? To take initiative to interact with proper human beings? Do others of the group/community agree with certain initiatives initiated by a fellow group member? And so, one thing leads to another: discord, division. A good story, all in all.

09) Hervé Lagoguey& Natacha Vas-Deyres - Des origines aux Trois lois d'Asimov : quand la science-fiction s'empare de la robotique
Treating Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics and how these laws found their way into various science fiction stories. An interesting article that can be read before reading or after having read some or various of Asimov's robot stories/novels. If not those of other authors as well.

10) Eando Binder - Moi, robot ("I, Robot", 1939) (trad. Hervé Lagoguey, illustré par Robert Fuqua)
A historical short story, apparently a classic or involving a robot that became a classic character. Binder, although a human being, sounds like Bender, that robot from the animated television series 'Futurama'. Conceived by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, but they must have known about Eando Binder, as both robots look quite alike.

11) Eando Binder - Le Procès d'Adam Link, robot (The Trial of Adam Link, Robot, 1939) (trad. Hervé Lagoguey, illustré par Robert Fuqua)
A second story about our lovely and sympathetic robot, here involved in a court case, even if he saved two people from an untimely death. Does a robot have rights? Does it have a soul? Who's responsible for its behaviour?

12) Franck Selsis - Brèves histoires de l'exploration spatiale robotisée
Franck Selsis is an astrophysicist, gives us an interesting, historic overview of the use of robot(ic)s in space exploration. A lot of words here, some breaking-up into paragraphs would have been appropriate.

13) Nicolas Texier - L'U26 et l'oubli
Is it fiction? Probably. There are biblical references, a society where paper documents (newspapers, books, magazines, ...) are considered illegal, because everything is digital, to be read on a screen. Is it about being tracked? There's mention of Mexico, China, the USA, ... but I can't tell what the story is about, unfortunately.

14) Fabrice Carré - Entretien avec Olivier Ly
Olivier Ly is professor at the university of Bordeaux, responsible for LaBRI, where they research and work on autonomous robotics in two domains: agricultural and humanoid. He's also involved in the competition RoboCup. In this interview, he sheds a light on his work at the university, outside of it and how he thinks about robots in general or even killer robots.

15) Nicolas P. Rougier - Intelligence artificielle et singularité
A partly historical overview of artificial intelligence and singularity, with references to books and films (like 'Terminator').

16) Roland C. Wagner - Les Trois lois de la sexualité robotique
Isaac Asimov had his three robot laws, Roland C. Wagner took those and rewrote them in the context of sexual pleasure. One page, three laws. Just a little bit of information.

17) Olav Koulikov - Prodramation intime
A short police story about a murder in a factory where robots are assembled. The victim was treated like one. Ok story, but nothing special.

18) Guillaume Baychelier - Des robots pour faire peur ? Représentations machiniques dans les jeux vidéo d'horreur
Robots and video games, the list is endless. How are robots depicted in games, especially in horror video games? An interesting article in itself, though it can go a little over your head if you're not a gamer or don't play such video games.

19) Christine Luce - Bébé d'enfer
A story about a robotic child gone berserk; the story was a bit too predictable in its execution, I found. Frequent use of "fancy" English wording, which actually adds nothing to the story. The style as well wasn't my cup of tea, unfortunately, as it was written in present time and from a first-person POV.

20) Alexandre Marcinkowski - Métal rutilant aux origines des créatures artificielles d'Héphaïstos
A historical trip, back to the time of the Greek gods, and more particularly Hephaestus's work as a blacksmith and more. Back in the day, he too found it useful to have helpers/assistants or help his fellow gods by providing some for them. And who better to provide these "automatons" (Wikipedia) than Hephaestus himself? An valuable and informative article, especially if history is your thing.

21) Michel Pagel - Fragment perdu du Voyage en Orient
Michel Pagel is an author, yet here we have a so-called lost fragment of the French writer Gustave Flaubert. The text was found in 2007, but its authenticity can not be confirmed.

22) Pierre Devaux - Serons-nous esclaves des robots ?
An article involving the rising implementation of robots, automation, ... and how a human being will have step up its game if (s)he is to compete or equal the skills of robots, in order to keep her/his job, for example.

23) Michel Jeury - Machine donne !
A story involving banks, ATM's, and people getting in line to receive money from those "machines". The world is run by robots, with a robot police, and man is apparently the subjugated species, the less intelligent species. Style-wise a bit heavy, you have to maintain focus.

24) Serge Lehman - Un cas de conscience
Serge Lehman is known mostly for his 'F.A.U.S.T.' series, which I haven't read, but his contribution about the rise and development of artificial intelligence is a must-read. He compares the views of various authors and scientists, be they for or against AI and its (dis)advantages. Some even find the destruction of a hard disk a crime against AI. If one considers a hard disk AI, then the world is full of AI, even a washing machine or dishwasher, in a manner of speaking.
However, M. Lehman also notes that there is a difference between artificial intelligence and artificial conscience. Because, will there ever be robots with a conscience? AI today cannot reproduce itself or doesn't have a conscience. But what if? The future is uncertain, technological advances are still going on.

25) Laurent Queyssi - Grand lunaire
A cool story about a sentient robot that survived its master, who passed away recently. The robot was given the right, by the master's daughter, who inherited the house, to stay there and accomplish the work his former master couldn't finish. The neighbour across the road finds it weird, but as a robot can't lie, it tells it like is. After a while, both become friends (and our neighbour will find it hard to not consider the robot a proper living creature), and while our little robot has a technical breakdown (heat is detrimental to its circuits), the neighbour finds out what that "work" was: The house contains a laboratory. The robot wants to find/create the perfect solution to repair itself without anyone intervening. Until that fatal moment.

26) Bénédicte Coudière - Quand le robot s'affranchit des genres littéraires
A selective overview of robots in literary genres. Robots are always depicted in the same way, but why? Why can't robots be of glass or any other kind of matter? In some cases, robots come in an alternative form or matter.

27) Nathalie Zema - Entretien avec Sophie Sakka
An interview about the study of robotics. Also mentioned: Robocup (an international competition where various kinds of robots compete against each other), Rob'Autism, Rob'Zheimer, etc.

28) Gaston Derys - L'Automate
A very short story about half an automaton, female, created and acting like a proper human being, used to attract men for pleasures of the flesh (also the title of Exodus's second album, 1987), if I understood correctly, in this area of Paris, France: Pigalle.

29) Nelly Chadour - Lilith déchaînée
Another story about a robot/android. On the one hand, invented in a story, on the other hand created and brought to life by someone else. And as intelligence and beauty came together in this android, the emotions of man could not be contained, leading to rivalry, but also the demise of the creator, the perpetrator, and his spouse. Revenge: the rise of female sentient robots (to teach men a lesson?).

30) Portfolio
An coloured overview of various magazine and book covers with robots.… (mehr)