Tying in with Jeremijenkos robotics project Feral Robotic Dogs, “Robotic Feral Public Authoring” combines the two aspects hobbyist robotics and public authoring (mapping and sharing of knowledge), which “both enable people to use emerging technologies in dynamic and exciting new ways. Brought together they open up whole vistas of possibilities for exploring our local environments with electronic sensors to detect all kinds of phenomena and map them using online tools.” [1]

Sensors are used to measure environmental influences (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, solvent vapours, electro-magnetic emissions (mobile phone masts, electricity generators etc), light and noise pollution) and are combined with a robotic vehicle, in this case a remote-controlled toy-car. The data gained by the sensors are visualised online by the “Urban Tapestries” tool and thus enables people to perceive their environment and shows them that they can interfere with it.

“Our aim is to design and create practical applications of such ‘creative misuse’ of commercially available technologies for social and cultural public benefit.” [2]

For more information check
[1],[2] Robotic Feral Public Authoring at Urban Tapestries
Documentation booklet (Pdf, 821kb)
Public Authoring and Feral Robotics (Detailed Project Description, Pdf, 454kb)
Project Film (3min Qt Movie 8.1mb March 2006)

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 1st, 2006 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Projects, locative, pollution. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.