Professor Kaspar Althoefer, Head of the Centre for Robotics Research (CoRe), Department of Informatics, collaborated with the Bartlett School (University College London) on a robot installation at the Tate Modern.
Professor Althoefer and his team of roboticists were involved in an exciting arts and design installation initiated and led by Ruairi Glynn, lecturer at the Interactive Architecture Workshop, Bartlett School, University College London. Ruairi is an architect, designer and artist specializing on creating installations, often employing large-scale robots. Many of his creations involve delta robots that are “trained” to mimic or mirror the behaviours of the visitors of his exhibitions.
“Fearful Symmetry” is the world’s largest delta robot that was mounted on a linear motorised rail under the ceiling of one of the newly built Tate Tanks at the Tate Modern on 21st and 22nd August, as part of events inaugurating the recent extensions to the Tate. The robot carried a glowing tetrahedron through the darkness of Tate Modern’s new gallery space and was guided by multiple Microsoft KinectTM vision systems that monitored the movements of visitors. Moving the light across the ceiling as well as moving it up and down and rotating it towards the closest visitor, an illusion was created that the “being” under the ceiling was observing people and showing an interest in their movements.
Prof Althoefer says: “I am very delighted to have been involved in this exciting project – a fantastic way to combine engineering with the arts. The Centre for Robotics Research provided advice and development support to Ruairi’s team. One of the Centre’s top control experts, Dr Vahid Aminzadeh, became a core team member leading the control side of the project and was instrumental in its delivery, enabling the robot to conduct the desired, smooth motion patterns creating the illusion of a light with an intelligence floating above the visitors’ heads”.
More information is available from this BBC news article or by contacting Professor Althoefer (k.althoefer@kcl.ac.uk). Additional photographs are also available to view.
