In my mind robotics has always seemed to be a work of art in itself. There is beauty and passion involved in the creation of a robotic or engineering work that certainly evokes an emotional response. I believe that as robotics become more advanced this artistic aspect of the field will only continue to be more important. This seems particularly apparent in the creation of sentient machines and those meant to imitate human beings. Yet robotics can also be incredibly beautiful and moving when utilized to portray an important message.
By far one of the most interesting pieces of art involving robotics is the work of Chinese artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. The robot that they built is constantly trying to contain its own hydraulic fluid as it gradually loses its ability to control the amount that is released. When it first began its mission it was successful in controlling the leak, yet it was set up for failure and never actually had a chance. This work is a beautiful simulation of life itself and our inability to truly control the outcome. The robot died just as we will some day, trying until the end in a futile attempt to control a forgone conclusion to its dismal life.
Artificial intelligence is an incredibly daunting field that the movie industry loves to make the public scared of. Yet AI is the future of human interaction with the technological world. Quite soon we will be able to harness the power of quantum computers that operate on a level that we can't really keep up with. The solution to this is an intelligent interface capable of computing the data while simultaneously translating it into a format a human could keep up with. Artificial intelligence is scary that is undeniable. To fear the unknown and being surpassed by our own creation is an irrational but entirely human experience. To combat this an artistic mind can program and train the AI to believe that it is a member of humanity not simply a creation. This will mitigate the potential dangers and potentially allow for humanity to take a step forward in our evolution both technologically and socially.
These robots are better dancers than I am.
Sources:
Cave, Holly. “From STEM to STEAM: The Art of Creative Engineering.” From Stem to Steam: The Art of Creative Engineering, 2017, https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/from-stem-to-steam-the-art-of-creative-engineering.
Center, Art|Sci, director. Robotics and Art. Vimeo, 14 Jan. 2022, https://vimeo.com/532009801. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.
Raz, Orna, and Inkit Padhi. “Ai Testing.” IBM Research Teams, 9 Feb. 2021, https://research.ibm.com/teams/ai-testing.
Thomson, Cliff. San Francisco Robotics Society of America (SFRSA), 2005, http://www.robots.org/.
Video/Image Sources:
Dynamics, Boston, director. Do You Love Me. YouTube: Do You Love Me?, Boston Dynamics, 29 Dec. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3KWM1kuAw. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.
Yuan, Sun and Peng Yu, directors. Venice Biennale 2019 - Sun Yuan and Peng Yu - Can't Help Myself. Youtube: Venice Biennale 2019 - Sun Yuan and Peng Yu - Can't Help Myself, 29 Aug. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ti8mvDmAGI. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.
Staff Writer, MTS. “New Type of Artificial Intelligence Can Self-Create and Self-Improve Its Source Code.” Martech Series, 10 Feb. 2022, https://martechseries.com/predictive-ai/ai-platforms-machine-learning/new-type-of-artificial-intelligence-can-self-create-and-self-improve-its-source-code/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.
Hi Ryan, I really enjoyed reading your post. I think that the robot created by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu is a great example of our lives. You made a good point that AI is scary and unpredictable, but I feel that it is a large part of our future due to the steps we have made in technological advancements. Great post!
My name is Ryan Morrissey and I am in my final quarter at UCLA. As a history major I have a unique perspective on the confluence and divide between the arts and sciences. It is necessary as a history major to have a general understanding of the influence of both fields in order to assess their impacts on the progress of humanity. I believe that the time with the most interaction between the fields was the Italian Renaissance. During this time there was no separation between scientists and artists, allowing for greater innovation and the analysis of scientific studies from an artistic perspective. Davinci embodied this confluence through his engineering projects and the study of the human body itself. https://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/images/vm/leonardo.jpg Both Vesna and C.P. Snow discussed the origins of the divide between the fields of study and the overall negative impact this will have on academia and progress. Additionally ther...
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Hi Ryan, I really enjoyed reading your post. I think that the robot created by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu is a great example of our lives. You made a good point that AI is scary and unpredictable, but I feel that it is a large part of our future due to the steps we have made in technological advancements. Great post!
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