Thursday, April 14, 2016

3: Robotics + Art


robotics.jpg
A robotics tournament at my high school. My idea of robotics.
http://thesmokesignal.org/2014/02/01/1100-am-1230pm
-live-coverage-of-msj-robotics-tournament/


When I think of robots, what usually first comes to mind are the contraptions built by school robotics teams.  It was interesting to learn from Professor Kusahara's lecture that in Japan, most robots are humanoid and are considered friendly.  It contrasts with the Western view of robots, which usually involves either an assembly line or robots taking over the world.  Our idea of robots came from industrialization, which actually originated from the printing press.  Industrialization is often associated with wars and the suffering of the lower class, so it is no wonder that we have a more negative or machine-like perspective of robots.
Japanese humanoid robots
http://www.newsweek.com/robot-reads-your-emotions-go-sale-japan-345167
The development of robots and industrialization affected art in that it allowed for mass production.  Walter Benjamin claimed that mass production endangered the originality of art because it could be more easily reproduced.  He also predicted that art would not be as appreciated and would be geared toward the masses.  This can be seen in mass media and entertainment today.  However, the reproducibility of art has also changed how art is created today.  Moving on from mass production, art can now be shared and reproduced virtually.  This has resulted in more collaboration and the blending of unique voices.  It has also created more outlets for creativity and made projects more accessible.  For example, Arduino is a platform that allows people with all sorts of interests to create whatever they wish.  Because it is open-source, users have access to a large amount of helpful knowledge.  Reproducibility of projects allows people to build on others' work.  With industrialization, art has changed from something very original and personal to something that is shared, but still is unique.

Arduino 101 board
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoard101







Sources:
"Arduino - Introduction." Arduino - Introduction. Arduino. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1936. Print.
Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991- 
1995)." Leonardo 28.5 (1995): 381-86. JSTOR. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
"Relating the Rapidly Changing Present to the Distant Past as Far as Book History Is Concerned."  
HistoryofInformation.com. Jeremy Norman & Co., Inc. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Robotics MachikoKusahara 1." Youtube.com. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 14, 2016 at 5:20 PM

    It's interesting how mass production and digital reproduction has hindered some parts of originality but also helped out with uniqueness. For example how you said art is easily reproducible so it isn't as original but yet people are able to share ideas and create a fresh and new blend of their own ideas. Would you say that technology and reproduction has more created more forms of creativity and originality or hindered it?

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  2. UnknownApril 16, 2016 at 9:29 PM

    Hi Victoria,

    I find it amazing that the whole genre of robotics and computer stem from the invention of the printing press as well as ford assembly lines as it made replication so much faster. There are always positive and negative things with robots in our culture. One positive aspect is that all of our consumer goods are mass produced by automated machines. The negative aspect of automation is that we are losing jobs more and more. It is scary and interesting to think about what the world will be like if all of our jobs were replaced by robots.

    I have personally worked with arduino micro-controller and they are absolutely amazing. My team of engineers here at UC Irvine have built a simple robotic arm with the use of arduino. Since a lot of projects are open source, it is easy to learn and collaborate with other people. Although it has to do with programming and electronics, the structure or enclosure you build for the electronics will need some artistic aspects. For example, when building a robotic arm, you would need to look at how robotics arms are usually designed from industry and movies and then you tailor your design to those artistic ideas. It is a good thing that you brought up the Arduino because it is a good way to bridge the gap between science and art.

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