Robots in Distress: A 3D real-time artwork of an underwater terrain heavily polluted with plastic waste depicting a simulation of craft learning to recognise and express hopelessness.
- Submitting institution
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Bournemouth University
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 303605
- Type
- Q - Digital or visual media
- Publisher
- The Future Emerging Art and Technology (FEAT), EU
- Month
- April
- Year
- 2017
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Self-learning, self-regulating and self-sustaining autonomous systems are relatively new innovations, especially when deployed in underwater environments, and there has been little consideration of such systems from cultural perspectives. This research explored issues of robustness in relation to the use of swarm and emotional robotics in natural environments damaged by human activity. Presenting a fresh perspective on a subject, this approach considers the significance of bioinspired fragility to foster deeper and more complete public appreciation of the issues being addressed in future research programmes. The unique approach taken was to consider the appropriation of emotional robotics algorithms to provide a mechanism by which autonomous agents might be able to negotiate loss of agency.
The research was supported by EU H2020 funded FEAT (Future Emerging Art & Technology) project. This allowed the artists (boredomresearch) to be resident in a Future Emerging Technology (FET) laboratory, where they engaged in experimental research, building test robots and control systems. It was centred on a collaboration between the artists and engineers based at Karl Franzens Universität, Graz, Austria, and included workshops attended by artists, scientists and biologists in exploring central ideas and concepts from perspectives of intervention, engineering and cultural engagement. Following this an experimental research space was set up for an intensive robot prototyping lab. This artist- led inquiry included experiments in building micro controlled aquatic robots from plastic waste, with contributions from programmers, electrical engineers and biologists.
The work provided citizens access to research concerns by the FEAT programme and for culturalising research approaches. It contributed to the EUs FET policy expectations and existing excellence of FET projects. The artists presented their research findings at Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria (2016) as part of a panel of experts informing future Horizon 2050 framework. Research conducted was also published in the Leonardo Journal publication.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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