Week 3 | Robotics + Art

When I learned about Walter Benjamin and his view that mechanization “destroys the idea of uniqueness, authenticity, or aura,” I could not help but to disagree. I believe that industrialization has led us to mass produce products, decreasing some level of originality in everyday objects. However, in the midst of all this, technology has also become a new medium of art, allowing many artists to continue creating original work. 

LeMay Americas Car Museum at the New York Auto Show 

A great example would be cars. In the 1900’s, Ford created the first assembly line for his Model T Fords. This led to fast automation, which allowed cars to be accessible to anyone. If we pause at this point of history, it may seem like Walter Benjamin was right. But if we look it at now, cars have become a form of art. There are hundreds of car models, each that are unique, and industrial artists who are continually creating new designs and functions. 

This week’s resources helped reaffirm that originality still exists even after decades of industrialization. Among all, Arduino stands out the most. The Arduino board is an open source hard ware that is simple enough for anyone to create whatever idea they have, even kids. It’s open, meaning, people share their codes through online circuits. This has led to some creative projects, such as a robotic drum (video below)! Society may view programmers as “computers,” the way Charlie Chaplin mocked assembly line workers as “machines”, but Arduino shows us that programmers can create authentic art. 

Arduino Controlled Robotic Drum

Robots are the ideal proof of a “technological medium.” Artists like David Hanson, who aims to create empathetic robots, are making new aesthetics, ones with emotion and perception. Artbots is an international exhibition for robotic art. On top of that, Machiko Kusahara taught us the cultural differences in our perspectives of robots. For instance, Japanese robots are smaller, less “scary”, and helpful. If we can sum up robots: they are a product of mechanization, yet they are exhibited in showcases, carry uniqueness, and have cultural differences. This sounds like art!  

David Hanson and his Robot that can make Facial Expressions

I think that society will continually advance and respond adaptively to industrialization. However, there will always be emerging artists who continually innovate and create for society.

References:

"Arduino-Controlled Robotic Drum." Instructables.com. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Controlled-Robotic-Drum/>.

"ArtBots Gent, the Robot Talent Show 2011." ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://artbots.org/2011/>.

"LeMay Americas Car Museum to Display at New York Auto Show." AutoGuidecom. 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/04/lemay-americas-car-museum-to-display-at-new-york-auto-show.html>.

"Robots That "show Emotion"" David Hanson. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_relate_to_you>.

Robotics Machiko Kusahara. Machiko Kusahara. Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

Robotics pt2.mov. Dr. Victoria Vesna. Youtube. Uconlineprogram, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

"WHAT IS ARDUINO?" Arduino. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <http://www.arduino.cc>.