Robot arm drawing the Aalto vase (0:44)
Robot arm dressed up with a sweater and hand. (0:15)
AALTO IN THE AFTERLIFE
Questioning authorship in the digital age with a robotic drawing arm
ONGOING (JAN - MAY 2023) // INDEPENDENT PROJECT (THESIS)
Aalto in the Afterlife is an exhibition exploring the idea of authorship and digital immortality, which is the technological continuation of a person’s life after death through the use of their digital footprint. Using a robotic arm, the exhibition will recreate the artwork of the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The exhibition poses a central question: If artificial intelligence and a robotic arm can replicate an artist's style and movements so precisely that it embodies their personal artistry, who can lay claim to the resulting artwork?
The Aalto vase and Alvar Aalto’s signature, as drawn by the robotic arm.
The robotic arm
3D-printed prototypes of hands
A realistic hand cast out of silicone and hand-painted. This is the final hand that will be mounted on the arm.
DESIGN PROCESS
The complete CAD assembly (as of May 21, 2023)
Diagram of the electronics (as of Mar 28, 2023)
BUILDING the Forearm and Hand
3D printing an early prototype of the motor mount
Laser cutting an arm piece
Sanding an arm piece
Life casting the silicone hand with an alginate mold
Painting the silicone hand
Cutting out a hole to mount the ball caster wheel
Testing the ball caster wheel
PROGRAMMING + TESTING
Testing the robot’s coordinate system against real-life measurements.
Testing the robot’s stability with the weight of a pen.
Checking the robot’s positioning with a simple simulation made in Desmos (0:11)
Generating coordinates for the robot to draw the Aalto vase