Robopoem@s
By Alm@ Pérez (Tina Escaja)
Robopoem@s consist of five insect-like robots whose legs and bodies are engraved with the seven parts of a poem@ (“poema” in Spanish) written from the robot’s point of view in bilingual format (my original Spanish with English translations by Kristin Dykstra). Voice activation, micro-mp3 players, and response to sensors (reactive to obstacles) allow these quadrupeds to interact with humans and with each other, emphasizing the existential issues addressed in the poem. The final segment of the poem, number VII, re-phrases the biblical pronouncement on the creation of humans, as perceived by the robot: “According to your likeness / my Image.” With this statement, the notion of creation is reformulated and bent by the power of electronics, ultimately questioning its binary foundations.
Most designs of these robots were based on open sources, thus emphasizing collaboration and cyber-community. The spider-like designs accentuate anxiety and removal between species, hence complicating the already ambivalent relation between humans and technology. This interface shows the original quadrupeds with options for listening to the poems in three different languages (English, Spanish and Chinese); interacting with 3-D models; and experiencing Augmented Reality components triggered by the panels that served as matrix of the robot-poets, AR that includes videos of the robots in action (try the Blippar app on these pictures as well). The multiple levels of interactivity underline this existential exchange between robots and humans, matching electronics with poetics.
Click the following link and download the AR/VR app Blippar to experience the full breadth of this work: https://proyecto.w3.uvm.edu/robopoems/Robopoemas2020.html
