Introduction | The Bots | Hardware HowTo | sCramBler Traffic and Animations

Deanne Achnong : Sheryl [Crowbot]

Sheryl [Crowbot] is a robotic crow that stands on a plynth and moves its head back and forth. There are three eyes in the head that recognize the colours red, green, and blue. The colours that the crow sees are represented on the Web overlaying a map of the area being watched. (Sheryl [Crowbot]'s Vision of the Luxe)

Kate Armstrong : The Problem of Other Minds

This piece uses hardware voice recognition to extract words from conversations in the installation space. The robot sits inside a glass globe terrarium (similar to a small fish bowl). A spool of paper with words and drawings on it spools onto the floor in reaction to the words.

Joelle Ciona : TangleBot

Tangle Bot is an elaborate spinning top that winds up threads that are hung from the ceiling. The robot spins back and forth on a table top and draws a spiraling pattern as it winds up the threads. Joelle Ciona performs with the robot, working with the threads and affecting the patterns that the robot draws. Ciona is an interdisciplinary artist who has developed an ongoing series of performative installation works about insects, webs, and hives.

David Floren : Phono, Mono, and ChartBot

David Floren helped to develop the workshop components for the robot project. The robots he developed were autonomous devices designed as examples for the workshop. "Phono" (singing robot) has a long wireframe nose - like a beak - that it uses to navigate a space. When it encounters an obstacle it sings, emitting a series of eerie tones. "Mono" is a wheeled robot with many eyes. It tries to navigate the spae by seeing in all directions at once. As first attempts at "creating life," these robots are fascinating to watch and hopelessly unable to fend for themselves. Their behaviour emphasizes the sophistication of biological life. "ChartBot" is a different creature. It consists of three old thermal chart recorders that track the silent and invisible conversations that are happening between all of the Mawhrin-Skel robots using their wireless Internet connections.

Matt Smith : RadBot

The RadBot searches for radiation emitted from WiFi devices and cell phones. It consists of an automated pan head that sits in the corner of a room and moves back and forth, scanning the area. Everytime the robot scans, it takes note of the "loudest" point of radiation and then flashes a bright halogen lamp in that direction, illuminating (blinding) the source of the emission.