Ars Electronica Archive
Prix
Prix Map
Pictures
Videos
Publications
Special Projects
Women in Media Art
Prix
The Prix Ars Electronica Archive is a collection enabling search and viewing of all the submissions since 1987. The award-winning projects are documented with catalogue texts and audio-visual media. All other submissions can be searched by title/artist and displayed with year, category in list form. Please cite the credits (artwork name, artist and photographer) and only use the materials if your article is related to Ars Electronica.
Outerspace
Markus Lerner,
André Stubbe
Original: Outerspace, a reactive robotic creature | 1535 * 2126px | 2.3 MB
Original: PR_2006_outerspace_005_o.jpg | 1200 * 1600px | 215.5 KB
Original: Outerspace | 2126 * 1535px | 982.8 KB
Outerspace is a reactive robotic creature. It is motivated by curiosity, by the desire to explore the surrounding space looking for contact. Touch it, play with it and watch its behavior.
Curiosity
The movements of Outerspace are determined by its curiosity in exploring the surrounding space. It looks for light, motion and finally contact. When it finds something interesting, this again increases its curiosity to find out even more. The same thing happens in the mind of the observer when he approaches the object.
Inspiration
The basic form consists of insect antennae that are able to make flexible movements in order to explore the environment. Outerspaces broad repertoire of motion actually originates from the world of animal movements, both in the behaviour of single organs and of animal body language. At the same time, human gestures are part of the motion patterns of Outerspace. Formal reduction and graphical abstraction invoke a wide scope of interpretations.
Technology & Materials
The body consists of three limbs and fibreglass pipes connected by joints. Four servomotors control these limbs through wires and pulleys, three for the joint movements and one for the vertical rotation. The head, the uppermost limb, carries 5 photo sensors used as eyes for brightness and simple motion recognition. All limbs have capacitory sensors that react on human body contact. Two BX-24 microcontrollers are used for input and controlling of the motors. The controllers are connected to the serial ports of a PC, where all calculations are made by special Java software.
Curiosity
The movements of Outerspace are determined by its curiosity in exploring the surrounding space. It looks for light, motion and finally contact. When it finds something interesting, this again increases its curiosity to find out even more. The same thing happens in the mind of the observer when he approaches the object.
Inspiration
The basic form consists of insect antennae that are able to make flexible movements in order to explore the environment. Outerspaces broad repertoire of motion actually originates from the world of animal movements, both in the behaviour of single organs and of animal body language. At the same time, human gestures are part of the motion patterns of Outerspace. Formal reduction and graphical abstraction invoke a wide scope of interpretations.
Technology & Materials
The body consists of three limbs and fibreglass pipes connected by joints. Four servomotors control these limbs through wires and pulleys, three for the joint movements and one for the vertical rotation. The head, the uppermost limb, carries 5 photo sensors used as eyes for brightness and simple motion recognition. All limbs have capacitory sensors that react on human body contact. Two BX-24 microcontrollers are used for input and controlling of the motors. The controllers are connected to the serial ports of a PC, where all calculations are made by special Java software.
Markus Lerner (DE), is a graphic and computational designer studying Visual Communication for diploma at the Berlin University of the Arts. He mainly deals with Physical Computing, design and building of interactive physical objects by using software and hardware that can sense and respond to the analog world.
Andre Stubbe (DE). His work encompasses a smooth interplay between graphic design and illustration skills together with computational design and artificial intelligence. A central aspect of his work is the engagement of the user through reactive graphics, game-like behaviours and virtual characters
Andre Stubbe (DE). His work encompasses a smooth interplay between graphic design and illustration skills together with computational design and artificial intelligence. A central aspect of his work is the engagement of the user through reactive graphics, game-like behaviours and virtual characters