Sure, the newest generation of facial-recognition software and ultra-precise servos allow robots to perform uncanny drafting feats. But where’s the artistry in that? Where’s the soul? Non. Existent. Check this out: an imprecise robot arm that draws with personal flair.
Dubbed Paul by its creator, engineer-artist Patrick Tresset, Paul was designed to be a bit rough. Tresset intentionally used low-cost servomotors – not the highly accurate industrial versions you’d find in, say, an automotive assembly line – to power the arm, and he programmed the system to approximate his own drawing style. “I try to make robotic installations that touch people,” Tresset told Co.Design (check the gallery of Paul’s work over there – it’s rad). “I believe that a robot that slightly fails is more interesting, more touching – it encourages empathy in the viewer.” [via FastCoDesign]