Nov 29, 2023

Under the guidance of Agnieszka Pilat, the trio of Spot robot dogs will independently paint an acrylic ground canvas for their participation in the event. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time. Aiming to infuse a human touch into robots, famous artist Agnieszka Pilat will train three robot dogs in a four-month residency program at the National Gallery of Victoria's (NGV) Triennial in Melbourne. The trio of Spot robot dogs developed by Boston Dynamics are scheduled to independently paint an acrylic ground canvas for their participation in the upcoming NGV Triennial, which takes place in Melbourne in December. For them to fulfill this mission, the three Spots Basia, Vanya, and Bunny, will start their training exercise from next week in a studio built specifically to adapt to such a scenario, according to Guardian . See Also Perception change Spot is built to carry out a wide range of tasks and reach places other robots cannot. Reconfiguring the robot for different use cases can boost productivity and significantly lower workplace safety risks. The acquisition of Spot by various security agencies led people to get more apprehensive about employing a technologically superior machine to carry out such duties. Advanced mobile robots developed by firms like Boston Dynamics have the potential to be misused, just like any new technology that offers new capabilities. They could be used by dishonest individuals to violate civil rights or to intimidate, threaten, or cause harm to others. Last year, the firm itself, along with other robot manufacturers signed a pledge not to build any robots that pose a threat to people. Pilat aims to alter this perception of such robot dogs by showcasing a more creative and artistic side of such machines. According to her website, Pilat was an artist-in-residence at Boston Dynamics from 2020 to 2021 before beginning a second residency at Space X. Pilat has been in the process of training robots like Agility Robotics’ human-like Digit and Spot, aiming to ignite and showcase their creative potential. According to Pilat, unexpected creative inputs from the machines are what makes them her creative collaborators instead of just tools for design; in the exhibition, Pilat gives her apprentices authorship rights, with accompanying information panels crediting Pilat and Spot for their paintings. Genuine effort The training exercise will feature approximately one canvas every three days, or 36 in total, which will be painted by Basia. These will create a kind of manifesto for the robots expressed through 16 symbols, a simple pictorial language made up of squares, lines, and circles that Pilat designed according to the robots' physical capabilities. For this project, Pilat has been utilizing a combination of artificial intelligence, software, and machine learning to mold the robots' "personalities" in collaboration with an engineer and her assistant. Bunny is a show-off who, according to her programming, will frequently wander over to pose in a window specifically made for selfies. Basia is "the serious one," totally focused on her painting; Vanya is the "mother of the group," pacing around the space observing, according to Guardian. Pilat believes that people are learning more about our future with robotics and AI through "silly stuff with robots," which offers a more nuanced perspective than the ones they see on social media when they watch cops controlling robots.