Scientific Truth Proclaimers
Workshop and performance | 2017
The Scientific Truth Proclaimers were made in 2017 at the Polytech Festival in Moscow, which was about science, art and technology. In order to accommodate these themes, Niklas and I gave a workshop, where we built artsy robotic vehicles together with the participants. After the workshop, we made a collaborative performance, where the robots were driving around the festival area autonomously and broadcasting science-related messages. Besides evoking curiosity, the robots were a reminder of the importance of information grounded on science.
Workshop
During two intensive days, we built the self-driving Scientific Truth Proclaimers using toy excavators, megaphones, Arduino microcontroller boards, proximity sensors and various decoration materials. Three teams worked on three robots by building and testing the electronics and theming each vehicle. The participants also created mp3 audio messages for the robots, which were to be broadcasted via hacked megaphones attached to the robots.
Robots in action
One of the robots was themed as a black hole and chanted a cryptic message created using an artificial intelligence tool. Contrasting with the mysterious and rough looking black hole, the second robot was glowing white and carried molecular structures made of styrofoam. In accordance with its spherical structures, it was reciting the decimals of pi with synthesizer tunes. The third robot was a colourful punk robot packed with junk, shouting science quotes, sparing no swearwords. Niklas and I had also made one robot as an example for the workshop. It was, somewhat modestly, promoting the plentiful hydrogen atom.
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Thank you!
Special thanks to the workshop participants who made amazing robots and for the festival volunteers who looked after the robots.