Robotics and Art (It's Morphin' Time!)

For me, the most striking revelation of how the art and science of robotics was influenced as a result of industrialization was the Western “evil” robots versus the Eastern “friendly” robots, as mentioned by Prof. Machiko on behalf of Japanese culture. Dr. Vesna’s lecture traced the history of machines to have a methodical progression, beginning at the Renaissance and Enlightenment’s printing press’ spreading of knowledge going through the development of electricity, industrialization, and mass production; all events that would not initially seem to promote a culture of caution against mechanized objects until the discontent of displaced workers was brought to light. The onset of Bush's human knowledge-indexing machine and cybernetics probably did not do much to help those who feared the progression of technology.

There's nothing more beloved than a robot you control to destroy an evil villain your city.
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-power-rangers/images/2961861/title/megazord-wallpaper

It would follow that Japan should take their industrial revolution and resulting mechanical aides worse than the West considering they were subjected to colonization and the Hiroshima nuclear bombing, but instead they expanded the tradition of entertaining automata to robots of hope and the promising future of scientific development, and how it could aid their people in recovery.

Yes, this "fictional" scene from Chuck is the FBI and NSA's reminder to you that they know everything, which can be stored anywhere from a single human brain to a pair of sunglasses.
http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/First_Intersect

Kybernetes: "good at steering" through ocean of information.
Drink up [on information], me hearties, yo ho.
http://good-wallpapers.com/movies/20493

Even with the fear behind robot domination, we still see the development of robotic systems that will have practical purpose within our society. All of Dennis Hong’s robots were designed to overcome one, if not several, human and/or mechanical problem, and even when they are serving their functional role they are amazing to behold.

Guess you can't just go to Madagascar to find these guys. Stay in school!
http://www.metalocus.es/content/en/blog/my-seven-species-robot

As a stark contrast to RoMeLa’s robot-designing, Hod Lipson creates robotic systems that come out of a simulated primordial soup of parts to model robots that self-assemble and come to life; these robots then work to discover what they are, and subsequently self-replicate. This process, which reminds me of the Egyptian mythology of their gods arising from chaotic, primordial waters, challenges the tradition of designing purposes for robots and advocates for machines’ childlike evolution. This feels like a boldly artistic statement in that although it rests on the biological concept of evolution, it is a counter-reaction to traditional processes in the hopes of creating for the sake of seeing what happens, like the artistic experimentation of the 4th dimension.

Atum rises from Nu, the primordial chaos-water that encompasses the world.
http://thebravenewworldorder.blogspot.com/2006/12/contacting-god-our-alien-creator-occult.html

Ken Rinaldo’s Enteric Consciousness is an extraordinary display of art, science, robotics, and industrialization all in one room. In demonstrating the interplay of our own biology with another species’ biology through both organic and electro-mechanical elements that audiences directly interact with, he models the techno-cultural evolution of biological systems being accurately portrayed by today’s technology while retaining the artistic element of audience relationship with the beauty of nature and their hopeful understanding of an oncoming interdependent, or symbio-technoetic, earth. In addition, the mechanical reconstruction is reminiscent of industrialization, reminding audiences how their own systems, and subsequently their whole body and existence, are manufactures of nature.

Ken Rinaldo's tongue-massager.

It doesn't massage your tongue, the tongue massages you.

http://vimeo.com/35176758

With the persistence of technological expansion, today’s generation of students are immersed in a world where everyone is expected to be competent, if not adept, at manipulating electronics. The Arduino platform allows for the sharing of original programs and simple devices so that “artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments” can apply basic circuitry knowledge.  

Can't build your own car yet, so keep improving that bike!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5YYsm_BqJQ#at=31

And on top of that, competitions like Artbots expand designer knowledge of what is possible with the technology they have at their disposal, especially the unique “emotion, perception, consciousness, and behavior” they can bestow upon their creations. Eventually, these young engineers will create a new industry of robots that may be both functional and artistic.

Essentially, we'll get a bunch of these...
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_I:_The_Phantom_Menace

...making these.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/C-3PO

Sources:

Alexrd. “Anakin Pod.” Wookieepedia. Wikia, 2013. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_I:_The_Phantom_Menace>.

Arduino, . "Arduino HomePage." Arduino. Arduino. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://arduino.cc/>.

Darth Culator. “3PONaked-ST.” Wookieepedia. Wikia, 2006. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/C-3PO>.

deBoisblanc, Jenna. “pimpMyBike[0] = "Arduino bike electronics overview." Youtube, 2012. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5YYsm_BqJQ#at=31>.

Good-wallpapers. “Pirates of the Caribbean, the Steering Wheel, Skeleton.” Union D, n.d. Web. 7 July 2013. <http://good-wallpapers.com/movies/20493>.

Hong, Dennis, perf. “Dennis Hong: My seven species of robot.”  TED Conferences, 2010. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_hong_my_seven_species_of_robot.html>.

Barba, José. “"My seven species of robot." by Dennis Hong. [VIDEO TED] Subt. Sp.” Metalocus, 2011. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.metalocus.es/content/en/blog/my-seven-species-robot>.

Kotze, Jake. “Contacting God our Alien Creator: The Occult Motivation for the 9/11 Mega-Ritual.” Blogspot, 2006. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://thebravenewworldorder.blogspot.com/2006/12/contacting-god-our-alien-creator-occult.html>.

Kusahara, Machiko. "Robotics MachikoKusahara 1" Lecture. Uconlineprogram. Youtube, 14 Apr 2012. Web. 7 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xQZ_sy-mdEU>.

Lipsin, Hod, perf. “Hod Lipson builds "self-aware" robots.” TED Conferences, 2007. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/hod_lipson_builds_self_aware_robots.html>.

PkmnTrainerJ. “Megazord.” Fanpop, 2012. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-power-rangers/images/2961861/title/megazord-wallpaper>.

Repetto, Douglas. “ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show.” ArtBots, 2002. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://artbots.org/2002/curatorsstatement.shtml>.

Rinaldo, Ken. “Enteric Consciousness: Living robotic tongue installation.” Maison d'Aillieur, 2010. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://kenrinaldo.com/>.

Rinaldo, Ken perf. “Ken Rinaldo, ‘The Enteric Consciousness’.” Leonardo Electronic Almanac. Vimeo, 2012. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://vimeo.com/35176758>.

Tomf60. “First Intersect.” Chuck Wiki. Wikia, 2010. Web. 7 Jul 2013. <http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/First_Intersect>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt1" Lecture. Uconlineprogram. Youtube, 15 Apr 2012. Web. 7 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt2" Lecture. Uconlineprogram. Youtube, 15 Apr 2012. Web. 7 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oAZ8bo9T_Pk>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt3" Lecture. Uconlineprogram. Youtube, 16 Apr 2012. Web. 7 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wkP7oSZVkbg>.