[Synapse elist] Bioart + Robotics

[kirsty boyle]

Hi,
I originally trained as a puppeteer.. but always held down day jobs
working with technology.  I spent 4 years working at telecom/telstra
automating and configuring telecommunication networks.  I then worked
in animation and film.  I studied electrical and mechanical
engineering (mechatronics/robotics), but found it quite hard and
depressing as the focus was on the automotive industry.  For many
years I worked at the ABC in engineering, figuring it was a good place
to be to use my technological knowledge in a creative environment.

In 2002 I had an opportunity to travel to Japan and study with Master
Tamaya SHOBEI, a Karakuri craftsman.  Karakuri is a mechanical doll
making tradition which can be seen as the origin of the current day
robotics industry in Japan.  I was motivated to meet him as I had
heard about the tradition but there was little written about it in
English.  I have a website which is an attempt to document the craft -
http://www.karakuri.info.

Whilst in Japan I also started studying with Professor Yoshikazu
SUEMATSU, who founded the  Suematsu Robotics Laboratory at Nagoya
University.  He is considered the world's foremost authority on
Karakuri, and was a pioneer of foveated robotic vision systems.  He
was also a student of Masahiro MORI (more of which I will write about
below).

I thought after initially spending time in Japan I would return and be
making my own mechanical dolls, but instead it has taken me on a
completely different path.  I have continued studying the tradition
and documenting it so as to share the knowledge with people outside of
Japan.  I currently have only a small amount of information up on my
website but it astounds me how much interest this has created.  I
often get frustrated thinking about how just because something hasn't
been expressed in English it might not actually exist.  Currently I am
Master SHOBEI's only student, which never ceases to amaze me.

At the moment I am an artist in residence and visiting researcher at
the AI Lab, University of Zurich -  http://www.ifi.uzh.ch/ailab/  I
was invited here by Professor Rolf Pfiefer, who featured my website in
the AI Lectures from Tokyo, considered the first global, fully
interactive, videoconferencing-based lecture series at the University
of Tokyo - http://tokyolectures.org/

At the lab I am building an embodied robot inspired by Karakuri.  I
have a blog about my ANAT supported residency here -
http://www.anat.org.au/blog/boyle/

One topic I am hoping to raise for discussion is as artists, how we
can we shape the future aesthetic appearance/movement of robots?  Or
how do we want our robots to look and act?

For many years I have been studying the 'Uncanny Valley' theory
proposed by Masahiro MORI (original paper in English is here -
http://www.androidscience.com/theuncannyvalley/proceedings2005/uncannyvalley.html)
 I am keen for any comments relating to the Uncanny Valley as I am
preparing to speak on a panel themed around Virtual Humans at FMX next
month - http://www.fmx.de.

And just out of interest - what is your favourite robot, and why?

Many thanks,
Kirsty