AD41700 Robots, Art and Culture Prof. Fabian Winkler (AD/ETB) in collaboration with Prof. Justin Seipel (ME) Fall 2015
AD41700: Robots, Art and Culture (Variable Topics in Electronic and Time-Based Art)
The history of robots has always been closely connected not only to technological but also cultural and social issues. From early Renaissance automatons to contemporary entertainment, industry and military robots, the field of robotics is developing rapidly, and while robots have become increasingly ubiquitous in everyday life, they have also become important reflections of our own culture. We will investigate ideas and concepts central to the field of robotics as starting points for artistic interventions. Specifically, speculations about the future of the field - based on the knowledge of its past - will provide a rich source of ideas for the creation of new work. We will explore issues at the intersection of culture and robots including the historical development of robots and their representation in fiction, concepts of robots in Asia and the West, bio-inspired robot locomotion and speculations on the future development of robots. Technical workshops in this course will focus on the creative application of robotic technologies (sensors, actuators, microcontrollers) with Arduino - however students will also have the opportunity to work on class projects investigating robots using a variety of media (video, film, sound, text, interactivity, etc.).
Special highlights for this semester’s Robots, Art and Culture class will be a particularly interdisciplinary approach to the course topics through a collaboration with Prof. Justin Seipel (Purdue Mechanical Engineering), an exhibition of speculative robot artifacts as part of Purdue’s Dawn or Doom 2 summit and residency activities and exchanges with visiting artist Huang Yi/KUKA (through Purdue Convocations).
Course Number: AD 41700 Instructors: Fabian Winkler (MFA), Dr. Justin Seipel Mondays/Wednesdays, 2:30-5:20pm Location: FPRD 204
Course web site: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/AD41700_F15
Website of the Electronic and Time-Based Art program at Purdue: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/vpa/etb/
Contact Information
Instructor of Record: Fabian Winkler, Associate Professor Justin Seipel, Assistant Professor Office: FPRD 202 Office: ME 3060-D Office hours by appointment Office hours by appointment E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 49-40160 (office) Telephone: 49-43376 (office)
Disabilities and Adaptive Programs Statement
Students with disabilities must register with Adaptive Programs in the Office of the Dean of Students before classroom accommodations can be provided. If you are eligible for academic accommodations because you have a documented disability that will impact your work in this class, please schedule an appointment with the instructor as soon as possible to discuss your needs.
Emergency Statement
In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. Here are ways to get information about changes in this course. Blackboard web page, my email address: [email protected], and my office phone: 494-0160. o To report an emergency, call 911. o To obtain updates regarding an ongoing emergency and to sign up for Purdue Alert text messages view www.purdue.edu/ea.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES are based on a simple concept – if you hear a fire alarm inside, proceed outside. If you hear a siren outside, proceed inside. Indoor Fire Alarms mean to stop class or research and immediately evacuate the building. o Proceed to your Emergency Assembly Area away from building doors. Remain outside until police, fire, or other emergency response personnel provide additional guidance or tell you it is safe to leave. o All Hazards Outdoor Emergency Warning Sirens mean to immediately seek shelter (Shelter in Place) in a safe location within the closest building. o “Shelter in place” means seeking immediate shelter inside a building or University residence. This course of action may need to be taken during a tornado, a civil disturbance including a shooting or release of hazardous materials in the outside air. Once safely inside, find out more details about the emergency*. Remain in place until police, fire, or other emergency response personnel provide additional guidance or tell you it is safe to leave. *In both cases, you should seek additional clarifying information by all means possible…Purdue Emergency Status page, text message, email alert, TV, radio, etc…review the Purdue Emergency Warning Notification System multi-communication layers at http://www.purdue.edu/ehps/emergency_preparedness/warning-system.html
Winkler, AD41700, Fall 2015, syllabus, p.2
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES • Review the Emergency Procedures Guidelines https://www.purdue.edu/emergency_preparedness/flipchart/index.html • Review the Building Emergency Plan (available on the Emergency Preparedness website or from the building deputy) for: o evacuation routes, exit points, and emergency assembly area o when and how to evacuate the building o shelter in place procedures and locations o additional building specific procedures and requirements
PAO – VPA BUILDING EMERGENCY PLAN FPRD and PAO - VPA www.purdue.edu/ehps/emergency_preparedness/emergency/building-plan.html
Select • BEP LIST, Scroll down to and select: FPRD--Forest Products Building Emergency Plan (http://www.purdue.edu/ehps/emergency_preparedness/bep/FPRD-bep.html)
Emergency Contact Information: Building Deputy: Betty Barlow (1st floor) and Michael Humphrey (2nd floor) Phone Number: 94-3615, 49-66477 Email Address: [email protected], [email protected] Office/Room Number: Pao B121
Pao–Visual and Performing Arts Building Emergency Plan (http://www.purdue.edu/ehps/emergency_preparedness/bep/pao-bep.html)
Emergency Contact Information: Building Deputy: Michael Humphrey Phone Number: 49-66477 Email Address: [email protected] Office/Room Number: Pao B121
Non-emergency Contact Numbers: * Fire: Purdue Fire Department (PUFD) 494-6919 * Police: Purdue Police Department (PUPD) 494-8221 * Radiological and Environmental Management: 494-6371 * Physical Facilities Services: 494-9999 * Emergency Preparedness Office 494-0446
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AWARENESS VIDEOS o "Shots Fired on Campus: When Lightning Strikes," is a 20-minute active shooter awareness video that illustrates what to look for and how to prepare and react to this type of incident. See: http://www.purdue.edu/securePurdue/news/2010/emergency- preparedness-shots-fired-on-campus-video.cfm (Link is also located on the EP website)
o All Hazards Online Awareness training video (on Webcert & Blackboard.) A 30 minute computer based training video that provides safety and emergency preparedness information. See the EP website for sign up instructions.
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MORE INFORMATION Reference the Emergency Preparedness web site for additional information: https://www.purdue.edu/ehps/emergency_preparedness/
Course Evaluations Statement
During the last two weeks of the semester, you will be provided with an opportunity to evaluate this course and your instructor(s). Purdue now uses an online course evaluation system. Near the end of classes, you will receive an official e-mail from administrators with a link to the online evaluation suite. You will have up to two weeks to complete this evaluation. Your participation in an integral part to this course and your feedback is vital to improving education at Purdue University. I strongly urge you to participate in the evaluation system.
Academic Dishonesty Statement
Purdue prohibits “dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty.” [Part 5, Section III-B-2-a, of University Regulations] Furthermore the university Senate has stipulated that “the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs., plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest.” [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]
Plagiarism Statement
The Office of the Dean of Students will investigate instances of reported plagiarism and take appropriate actions. See the Dean of Students web page for descriptions of plagiarism and university plagiarism policies). http://www.purdue.edu/univregs/studentconduct/regulations.html. All acts of plagiarism are violations of the University Academic Dishonesty Policy and will be dealt with according to procedures established by the university.
Class Attendance Statement
Purdue University policy states that all students are expected to be present for every meeting of classes in which they are enrolled. All matters relative to attendance, including the make-up of missed work, are to be arranged between you and the instructor. Only the instructor can excuse you from classes or course responsibilities. In the case of an illness, accident, or an emergency, you should make direct contact with your instructor as soon as possible, preferably prior to class. If the instructor cannot be reached directly a message should be left in the instructor’s departmental mailbox or with the department secretary. If you will be absent for more than five days, and have not been able to reach the instructor in person or by telephone or through leaving
Winkler, AD41700, Fall 2015, syllabus, p.4 notification of your circumstances with the divisional secretary, you or your representative should notify the Dean of Students (765-494-1254) as soon as possible after becoming aware that the absence is necessary. Be advised, you may be asked to provide documentation from an authorized professional or agency which supports an explanation for your absence.
Reproduction of Student Work Statement
The Purdue University Department of Art and Design (School of Visual & Performing Arts) retains a non-exclusive right to reproduce all undergraduate and graduate student projects for the purpose of education, publication, promotion, illustration, advertising, trade in any manner or medium now known or later developed in perpetuity.
Course Fees Statement Course Fees for Studio-Based Courses in the Department of Art & Design
Course fees for A&D studio-based courses enhance the educational experience of all students enrolled in studio-based courses in the Department of Art and Design. The objectives of the course fees are: 1. To provide and maintain the best state-of-the-art equipment and support possible for optimal learning in all programs in the department. 2. To obtain and distribute course materials that are more economical to purchase in bulk, are more environmentally-friendly, or that may not be available locally. Course fees do not cover all costs associated with a studio-based course. Students may have additional materials and/or texts to purchase in addition to what is supplied by the instructor.
Department of Art and Design course Fee Refund Policy If an Art and Design course with course fees is dropped within the first week of classes the fee will be removed from the student’s account at 100%. If the student drops the course after the first week of classes the fee is considered non-refundable. If the student chooses to appeal this, they would need to contact the Chair of the Department of Art and Design; if an exception were approved then the Department Chair would email the Comptroller & Bursar Office to adjust the fee as appropriate.
Course Learning Outcomes
After completing this course students will:
- know the basics of the Arduino microcontroller as well as sensors, actuators and their application in a simple bio-inspired robotic platform. - be able to contextualize their work in the history of robots and their impact on culture. - know key works of contemporary artists working with robotic technologies. - know basic bottom-up and bio-inspired strategies in current robot research. - have developed basic strategies to work creatively with robotic technologies, tinker and experiment.
Winkler, AD41700, Fall 2015, syllabus, p.5
- have experienced examples that demonstrate how to connect their skills to current events at Purdue University (e.g. through residency activities with visiting artist Huang Yi and his KUKA robot: http://www.sozoartists.com/blog/huang-yi- kuka as well as participation in and contribution to the Dawn or Doom 2 summit at Purdue: http://www.purdue.edu/dawnordoom)
Student Responsibilities
• Come to class on time and prepared to contribute. Being late (>10mins. after class has started) three times equals one absence. • Attendance is required. Three or more unexcused absences result in a significant reduction of the final grade. Make sure to sign the attendance sheet when you come to class. It is your responsibility to sign in at the beginning of each class! • Deadlines are mandatory; late work will receive grade deduction. • DO NOT do your email or surf the web during a critique, discussion or technical workshop. • Be respectful of your fellow students. Turn off your cell phone and instant messenger in class. No one is to make or receive calls or instant message during class. • DO NOT alter any material or data file belonging to another student without his/her permission. • Feel free to ask questions. This is an interdisciplinary class in which students from a variety of different academic backgrounds come together, things that may be obvious to one group of students may not be very familiar to another group. • Be generous, help each other, during class workshops and while working on assignments. Share information and exchange ideas, use the potential to be part of this class. • You will not receive a final grade for this class without turning in the final project portfolio (on CD-R or DVD-R).
Grading Guidelines
I will look specifically at the idea behind your assignment work. Every project starts with a good idea or concept. The best ideas are often simple - without being simple-minded! Project work resulting from these ideas needs to be consistent, precise and on the point. Ideally they are contextualized using references from a variety of fields, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of the work. Some of the questions I use to evaluate your work are: How original is the idea behind the work? How precise is realization of this idea? What is the contribution to contemporary art, culture and science/technology discourses. Does the work raise interesting questions and is it transformative (i.e. does it have the potential to get audience members in a different place or does it encourage visitors to think differently after the experience of the work)? Was the student well motivated and did he/she present the idea clearly in class?
Assignment 01 25% Assignment 02 25% Assignment 03 25%
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Reflection Assignment 25%
The reflection assignment will consist of the following components: short written project descriptions assignment 01 – 03, how they relate to each other, their cultural/artistic/scientific context and a reflection on the balance of artistic and technological/scientific components/aspects of the works. We will discuss the specifics of this written assignment more during the semester.
Lab Kit Materials (purchased from Studio Fees)
1x RoboXplorer or similar dynamic legged platform (available online such as Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BRFLW8/ref=s9_hps_bw_g21_i2)
Basic electronics kit: o 3x LDR sensor (photocell) Jameco #202403 o 1x potentiometer 10kΩ Jameco #29082 o 2x miniature snap switch Jameco #2207072 o 1x plastic fliptop case Jameco #100256 o 1x breadboard Jameco #20601 o 2x LED, green, 1.7V@20mA Jameco #334086 o assorted resistors, e.g. 3x resistors 270Ω Jameco #690726 3x resistors 1kΩ Jameco #690865 3x resistors 10kΩ Jameco #691104 3x resistors 47kΩ Jameco #691260 o 1x motor controller IC SN754410 Jameco #1054684 o hookup wire, various colors
Additional Required Supplies (not included in Studio Fees)
o Arduino board and USB cable (e.g. Jameco #222018) o Batteries for RoboXplorer platform o Thumbdrive (min. 8GB free space) o 1 blank DVD-R
Shopping Resources for electronics related supplies:
• Lafayette Electronics Supply (http://www.lafayetteelectronic.com) 405 N Earl Ave Lafayette, IN 47903 (800) 842-1527
• Radioshack (http://www.radioshack.com) 135 S. Chauncy Ave. Ste. F1 West Lafayette, IN 47906 (765) 743-3703 Ask for their 10% Purdue discount!
Winkler, AD41700, Fall 2015, syllabus, p.7
Online: • Jameco (http://www.jameco.com) • Digikey (http://www.digikey.com) • MCM Electronics (http://www.mcmelectronics.com) • Sparkfun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com) • Amazon (http://www.amazon.com)
Artists working with Robotic Technologies
A highly incomplete list but a good starting point for further research:
• David Bowen • Harold Cohen • Louis-Phillipe Demers • Ken Goldberg • Garnet Hertz • Edward Ihnatowicz • Hiroshi Ishiguro • Theo Jansen • Maywa Denki • Eric Paulos • Simon Penny • Sabrina Raaf • Douglas Repetto • Ken Rinaldo • Robotlab • Björn Schülke • Stelarc • Survival Research Labs • Bill Vorn • Norman White • Huang Yi
Readings
Section 01 – Context: Robots and Culture, History and the Art
• Reichardt, Jasia. Robots - Fact, Fiction, Prediction. New York: The Viking Press, 1978. "A Partial History", pp. 8-16 and "Definitions", pp. 28-31. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/AD61600_S14/reichardt_01.pdf http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/AD61600_S14/reichardt_02.pdf
• Huhtamo, Erkki and Machiko Kusahara. "Robo Renga: or a Tele-discussion about Art and Robotics" in Convergence; The Journal of Research into New Media Technologies Volume 8, Number 3, Autumn 2002. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/AD61600_S14/huhtamo.pdf
• Barthelmess, Ulrike and Furbach, Ulrich. “Do We Need Asimov’s Laws?” In: INFORMATIK 2013 - Informatik angepasst an Mensch, Organisation und Umwelt (Fabian’s translation: Computer Science in Synch with with Humans, Organization and the Environment), edited by Matthias Horbach, 1077-1084. Bonn, Germany:
Winkler, AD41700, Fall 2015, syllabus, p.8
Gesellschaft für Informatik, 2013. http://subs.emis.de/LNI/Proceedings/Proceedings220/1077.pdf (accessed: August 12, 2015).
Section 02 – the Future of Robots
Artificial Intelligence: • Sharkey, Noel. 2009. The sound of Science: Artificial Intelligence Special. Podcast internet program. Sheffield, UK. August, 29, 2009. http://soundofscience.wordpress.com/2009/08/ (accessed January 7, 2014).
• VBS.tv. The Singularity of Ray Kurzweil. http://www.vbs.tv/watch/motherboard/the-singularity-of-ray-kurzweil (accessed January 7, 2014).
Nanotechnology: • Ichbiah, Daniel. Robots - From Science Fiction to Technological Revolution. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2005. "Nanorobots", pp. 494-500. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/AD61600_S14/ichbiah.pdf
Jones, Richard. "Feynman's unfinished business." Nature Nanotechnology 781 (2009): 785. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/AD61600_S14/jones.pdf
Embodied Knowledge: • Penny, Simon. "The Virtualization of Art Practice: Body Knowledge and the Engineering Worldview." Art Journal 56, no.3 (1997): 30-38. http://www.gardensandmachines.com/Downloads/Robots_and_Culture/penny.p df
Furthermore, in preparation for Dawn or Doom conference, these podcasts and readings are relevant:
• Robots/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. 2009. Robot Ethics (Part 1). Podcast internet program. Lausanne, Switzerland, 13 February 2009. http://www.robotspodcast.com/podcast/2009/02/robots-robot-ethics-part- 1.html (accessed January 7, 2014).
Robots/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. 2009. Robot Ethics (Part 2). Podcast internet program. Lausanne, Switzerland, 27 February 2009. http://www.robotspodcast.com/podcast/2009/02/robots-robot-ethics-part- 2.html (accessed January 7, 2014).
• Dunne, Anthony and Raby, Fiona. Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2013. (pp. 1 - 67)
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Section 03 – Robot Locomotion/Embodied Knowledge
• Brooks, Rodney, "The Relationship Between Matter and Life", Nature 409 (2001): 409-411.http://people.csail.mit.edu/brooks/papers/nature.pdf (accessed January 7, 2014). • Dickinson et. al. “How Animals Move: An Integrative View.” Science 288 (2000): 100-106. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/288/5463/100.full • Chen Li, Tingnan Zhang, Daniel I. Goldman. "A Terradynamics of Legged Locomotion on Granular Media," Science (2013): dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1229163 • Marc Raibert, Kevin Blankespoor, Gabriel Ne. “BigDog, the Rough-Terrain Quadruped Robot.” IFAC 2008. http://www.bostondynamics.com/img/BigDog_IFAC_Apr-8-2008.pdf • Boston Dynamics, RHex Robot: http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_rhex.html • Brooks, Rodney; Hassabis, D.; Bray, D.; Shashua, A . “Turing centenary: Is the brain a good model for machine intelligence?” Nature 482 (2012). http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7386/full/482462a.html • Rethink Robotics: http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/ • Karl Sims, Evolved Virtual Creatures: http://www.karlsims.com/evolved-virtual- creatures.html
Further Resources
Software used in this class: o Arduino: http://www.arduino.cc/ o Processing: http://processing.org/ o Fritzing: http://processing.org/
Hardware used in this class: o RoboXplorer platform: http://www.smartlabtoys.com/you-build-it- roboxplorer.html o iRobot Create: http://www.irobot.com/us/learn/Educators/Create.aspx
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