The Whimsy Artist is a small robot that both creates and destroys art
The Whimsy Artist is a small robot that both creates and destroys art
Arduino Team — May 22, 2023
Many people find the subjectivity of art frustrating, but it is this subjectivity that makes art interesting. Banksy's self-shredded artwork is a prime example. The original painting sold at auction for $1.4 million - and then it shredded in front of everyone. This increased its value and the now shredded coin, dubbed "Love Is in the Bin", was auctioned again in 2021 for a record $23 million. In the same vein as this infamous work, this robot destroys the works of art it produces.
"The Whimsy Artist" is a small robot rover, like the one you would get in a STEM education kit. This is the type of robot most people start out with because it is so simple. It only needs two DC motors to move and it can detect obstacles using an ultrasonic distance sensor and has two infrared sensors for line tracking. An Arduino Uno Rev3 board controls the operation of the two motors based on the information it receives from the sensors.
It is in this decision making that the artistic elements come into play. When it does not detect any obstacles, the robot will operate in "creative" mode. It opens a chute on a dispenser to drop a trail of fine sand while moving in a pleasant spiral pattern. But if he sees an obstacle with the ultrasonic sensor, he gets angry. In this mode, he reverses direction and uses the infrared sensors to follow the line he just created while deploying a brush to ruin his own sandy artwork.
Arduino Team — May 22, 2023
Many people find the subjectivity of art frustrating, but it is this subjectivity that makes art interesting. Banksy's self-shredded artwork is a prime example. The original painting sold at auction for $1.4 million - and then it shredded in front of everyone. This increased its value and the now shredded coin, dubbed "Love Is in the Bin", was auctioned again in 2021 for a record $23 million. In the same vein as this infamous work, this robot destroys the works of art it produces.
"The Whimsy Artist" is a small robot rover, like the one you would get in a STEM education kit. This is the type of robot most people start out with because it is so simple. It only needs two DC motors to move and it can detect obstacles using an ultrasonic distance sensor and has two infrared sensors for line tracking. An Arduino Uno Rev3 board controls the operation of the two motors based on the information it receives from the sensors.
It is in this decision making that the artistic elements come into play. When it does not detect any obstacles, the robot will operate in "creative" mode. It opens a chute on a dispenser to drop a trail of fine sand while moving in a pleasant spiral pattern. But if he sees an obstacle with the ultrasonic sensor, he gets angry. In this mode, he reverses direction and uses the infrared sensors to follow the line he just created while deploying a brush to ruin his own sandy artwork.
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