W4-Robotic art
Art piece #1: a very clear cut example of robotic art.
The one I found for this one is the Interaction <02> Autonomous in their 2019 Milan Design show: Affinity in Autonomy. I was able to see and interact with this piece in person. The work consists of a two-joint robotic arm with a camera sensor installed at the arm's end. The component is installed in a spherical cage, creating a safe space and separation between the robot and human. The robot is moving with its free will and senses its surroundings. When the camera sensor detects a human outside the cage, it will raise the arm and point the camera to the person, creating a one-on-one moment until it loses interest and moves on to find the next person. There is a literal robotic arm in this art piece. The robot is programmed to proceed with its free will. I stood near the cage for quite a while but failed to attract any attention from the robot, no matter whether I waved or shouted near the robot.
Visit their website here
Art piece #2: a less direct example that does not physically resemble a mainstream robot but one you still consider to be robotic art.
The second piece I found is the Forest of Reasoning Lamps in the Teamlab Shanghai. This piece assembles hundreds and thousands of lamps hanging on the ceiling from different heights. LED light bulbs in each lamp will change color when a person stands in a close approximate. The lamp will then become a starting point and change lamps near it. The other lamps will continue the light change pattern to their neighbors till the last lamp. When there are numerous people in this installation, they will experience blinking lights in the form of arrays as they walkthrough. There is no moving piece in this work, or "Archimedean-classical machine," as Gunther described. However, I think I can consider it as the "second" or "transclassical machine." Even though there are no moving parts, the work itself has no meaning when no people interact with it since people are playing as inputs to this gigantic robot. Without people, these are just a sea of lights. Only when there are inputs (people walking in), the work has a meaningful output (changing colors).
Visit their website here
Midterm Ideas
Emotional Chair
A chair that will remind you to stand up but also when it gets tired. There will be a sensor on the chair along with a timer. When you've been sitting down for too long, the chair will ask you to stand up. But it might also because the chair is tired of holding you up. The chair also wants attention. When you are away for too long, it will ask you to come and do work or spend time with it. There is also an approximate sensor at the back. It doesn't like you lean on it, but also because you probably have a bad posture when you relax on it.
Inputs:
Weight sensor + timer
Approximate sensor
Megaphone Keyboard
We somehow feel less constrained when sharing thought on the internet, where millions of people can use, but very shy to speak up in person. The keyboard will read out loud every single key you pressed. It also recognizes some keywords you typed. For example, if you told your friend that you are SAD. The keyboard will be nice to you and sing a song. If you typed sex, it would make fun of you like a child.
Inputs:
Physical typing on the keyboard.
Words recognized.
Lonely Toilet Paper Holder
It welcomes you when you sit down on the toilet because it is lonely. It is talkative because it has no one to talk to. It will realize you've been sitting there for too long. It will ask you to finish up, because it's terrible for your health, even though it wants you to stay. It can measure how much paper you pulled and stop rolling the toilet paper if it thinks you are wasting paper.
Input:
Motion sensor
Something measures paper pulled through
