Thoughts go by air

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sol lewitt: "the idea is a machine that makes art"

Het project Thoughts go by air situeert zich binnen het domein van kunsten technologie. Het onderzoekt de mogelijkheid om een autonoom vliegende zwerm robots te bouwen met een eigen intelligent collectief systeem. Dit past zich op een complexe manier aan aan de omgeving en reageert op de aanwezigheid van mensen.

Le projet Thoughts go by air se situe dans le domaine de l'art et technologique. Le projet vise la realisation d'un groupe de robots, volant d'une facon autonome. La conduite des robots est intelligente etcollective. Ils s'adaptent d'une facon a leur entourage en reagissent ala presence d'etres humains.

Thoughts go by air is a slowly evolving project within the domain of artand technology. It was conceived as a project investigating automous flying artbots with its own systems of collective and collaborative intelligence driving on human mobility as a source and interface.

mxHz.org: "the machine is an idea that art makes"

Origin of the name : 

     Sir Gibbs-Smith divided airplane inventors into two categories. The first       he termed "Chauffeurs d'Air", because they acted as though flying       a plane was like driving a car. Maxim is the best example of this large       category. In contrast, Gibbs-Smith identified "Airmen" who understood       that the fluid medium of air made flight a quite different proposition than       land based manoeuvring. Chauffeurs tended to be concerned with obtaining       sufficient propulsion, without worrying over much about factors like lift       or control. "Airman" often worked on gliders before tackling the       problem of powered flight. Otto Lilienthal is the prototype "Airman".
      
Purpose :
     To build a creature, and later on a species.
     That is strong, flexible and powerful enough to survive humanlike artificial       environments.
     Like parties, openings, expositions.
     At which occasions they will make humans respond
     by categorical ignoring and avoiding them
     or
     by persistently annoying and following them.
     While filling the air with inane distressed chatter.

     That is the species.
     It should not be too difficult to build a species of independently flying       creatures that communicate among each other, using human energy and presence.       Like Hitchcock's birds suggest: with their own systems of collective and       collaborative intelligence driving on humans mobility as a source and interface.
      
Creative inspiration :
     In 1986 computer       scientist Craig Reynolds synthesized birds flocking behaviour       on a computer screen, he called them boids. 
     In the wild, a bat can send various types of sounds, i.e. constant and modulated       frequencies, and can also control the harmonic content of its sounds. Such       controls enable a bat to avoid objects in different environments such as       in vegetation or in the open air. The sounds used by individual bats also       differ from one bat to another, much as humans have distinct voices, enabling       bats to navigate without interference from other bat sounds.
     Research has shown that a female cricket can find a conspecific male by       walking or flying towards the calling song the male produces. This sensory       cue is sufficient for finding a mate. Using only auditory cues, the female       is able to locate a single male, despite other males and other sounds in       the vicinity.
     Many believed that God would have given man wings if he wanted him to fly.       Men like Otto Lilienthal believed that if God had not wanted man to fly,       He would not have given him a brain.
     On December 17, 1903 Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first sustained       controlled flights in a powered aircraft.
     In northern Taiwan, some people still release lanterns into the night sky       to beseech the heavenly God for blessings just like the ancients did in       the past.
     I
Intention :
     To create an complete artificial environment using robots mimicking a combination       of animal behaviour
     To explore the possibilities of technology as a medium of artistic expression.
     To prove that technologically mediated art is truly authentic and charismatic.
     To built a mobile, responsive, behavioural, environmentally conscious, and       essentially audio-visually perceiving, artificialist species able to create       (maybe for the first time in history) a responsible art for all humans,       animals and machine.
     To create machines that deal with people rather then people that deal with       machines. [lahaag]
     Of course due to the lack of wings on human bodies. [chip.kali]

      What :
     Three sets of independently flying balloons. Each sets consists of max.       20 balloons. Why three sets? This way we can have different sets flying       at different locations at the same time and we still have a group to continue       working on. e.g. During the artbots showing in New York the balloons will       also fly in Brussels at the IJskelders. Or ultimate goal is not only to       have the different sets flying at the same time, but also establish communication       between them. So the interference of somebody entering the space in New       York will cause reaction in Brussels.

     Each balloon is about 115 cm/diameter, white latex, estimated lifetime =       1 exhibition. They are filled with helium to provide us with the necessary       lift.
     The balloons fly independently.
     One scenario could be that they remain buoyant high in the room until they       detect human presence. Then they will come down, move in the direction of       the humans and start to make sound. The balloons communicate with each other.       So when one balloon goes down, it will make the others respond and follow       him. They will try to follow the humans at a safe distance for as long as       it is possible. A lot of humans in the space means they will split and choose       which one to follow. Once the space is empty again they will go quiet, fly       up for a safe place, stop moving and remain buoyant again. Another scenario       could be that they are floating around in space, quiet content, making soft       noisy sounds. From the moment somebody enters the room they get distressed       and agitated, fly up to safer heights while making distressed sounds. So       the best way to observe them would be from a distance.

     To behave like this they need to have the necessary electronics onboard.
     That is: they need to communicate with each other, produce sounds, move       around, up and down,detect human presence, detect their position in space       and that of the others.
     To facilitate communication with each other the balloons do not communicate       directly with each other, but to a central computer that dispatches the       messages to the other balloons. This makes communication easier and less       power consuming. We will also need this if we want them to communicate with       each other over long distance. We will just hook up the computers to the       web.
     All electronics are hidden in small gondola which also contains the propellers.       It is attached to the balloons with a small framework that fits around the       balloons. This frame will also be used to attach the balloons to each other       in case this is needed. For outside flight or to provide more lift. 
      
     To make this work we will have to experiment with technologies of different       kinds baring in mind that everything has to be extremely small, light and       doesnít consume to much power. Helium doesnít lift to much       so heavy components and batteries are out of the question.
     It is difficult to give the exact electronic details since we are still       researching which components to use. Of course, for us this is the biggest       challenge, to find the right electronics that give us enough freedom and       expressivity, so that our balloons get a mind of their own and become more       then just an object of technology.
     Eventually these balloons should be easy to install so we can send them       to different parts of the world and the only thing you have to do is blow       them up.

Where :
     As mentioned before we are going to show these balloons at the Ice Cellars       of the VUB and built them in the space above the cellars.
     This historical location consists of 2 subterranean connected rooms. With       a width of 10 meters, a height of 12 meters and a total length of 60 meters       the space takes the proportions of a cathedral. The cellars were built at       the end of the 19the century and have enormous historical value. Nowhere       in Europe you will find ice cellars of this size.
     It is a unique location and has specific acoustic and spatial qualities       that we think will fit perfectly for our balloons.
     Because of the limited access, there is only one staircase, and a limited       number of people is allowed because of safety reasons, we will also use       the space above for public showings and presentations and set up video streams       to get this thing to the open.
     The balloons though will only fly in the cellars.
external links

http://hisk.edu/w/Thoughts_go_by_Air

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