"Robotic Intelligence may be so different from human intelligence that it will take a new discipline - "robopsychology" to deal with it. That is where Susan Calvin will come in. It is she and others like her who will deal with robots, where ordinary psychologists could not begin to do so. And this might turn out to be the most important aspect of robotics..." -Isaac Asimov

Bio "She's the real Susan Calvin!" -Isaac Asimov In the 80s, (after graduating from Tufts University Magna Cum Laude in Child Development), Joanne sold computers to small businesses owned by doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals. She learned that even smart, accomplished people were resistant to change and slow to adopt the new technology despite the huge advantages. Joanne wondered if people had trouble programming their VCRs, never mind using their PCs, how would humans be ready to interact with a robot in their home? It was then, in 1986, that she proclaimed herself as the World's First Robotic Psychiatrist, and brought Susan Calvin to life. There was no formal course of study for robopsychology; Joanne was navigating unchartered territory. Being the World's First Robotic Psychiatrist was a tongue-in-cheek way of saying that one day, humans would have emotional responses to dealing with robots and that as a direct response to interacting with humans in an ever-changing environment, robots, like pets, would exhibit behaviors that humans will believe to resemble human emotions. For Joanne, Robotic Psychiatry was a way to get the public to think about the future of technology while increasing their current awareness. It was about readying the humans. For years, various people - Joan Embery, Jack Hanna, et al - had been bringing rare animals onto The Tonight Show and the Letterman Show. Millions of people got to see rare monkeys peeing and koalas clinging. It was funny and entertaining, yet educational. That's exactly what Joanne has wanted to do with robots, especially considering few people have actually seen a real robot. While researching robotic developments that might be of interest to the general public, Joanne decided to engross herself completely in the robotics industry while at the same time learn about robots in science fiction. She met Asimov in 1989 at a World Science Fiction Convention, where he dubbed her the "Real Susan Calvin." They corresponded until his death in 1992. In the early 90s, Joanne began working for Sankyo Robotics, an industrial robot manufacturer. She served as a senior sales and marketing executive and was their leading salesperson. During the 10 years employed, Joanne also did technical writing and marketing. Since 1996, Joanne has worked as an associate editor for Emerald Publishing's Industrial Robot Journal, Sensor Review Journal and Assembly Automation, the industry's oldest and most prestigious international journals on robotics, machine vision, sensing, and related fields. She has authored several articles for the journals including 'Surgeons Realizations of ROBODOC®', which earned a Highly Commended Award from MCB University Press. In 2004, Joanne served as the Director of Marketing and was one of the principals of the world's first medical robotics journal, The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery. The journal was recently acquired by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., and today Joanne remains Managing Editor. Joanne has consulted for some of the industry's top robotic and entertainment organizations including: Robotic Industries Association, Motoman, Staubli, and KUKA Robotics, DreamWorks, and Warner Bros. She serves on the expert panel for the think tank, TechCast. Joanne is a sought-after speaker who has appeared on CNN, The Tonight Show, Comedy Central, the Discovery Channel, NTV in Russia (viewing audience of over 100 million), and MSN.com.

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