Tweenbots Find Their Way Across Washington Square Park, Into The Hearts Of Strangers

Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 13 of April , 2009 at 1:00 am

What would happen if you placed a helpless (but cute) little cardboard robot in the middle of New York City, with plaintive instructions to strangers to help it find its way? My first guess would be that it would get stolen. Or broken. Or stabbed/shot/mugged. Student Kacie Kinzer decided to see for herself, so she created Tweenbots, which are adorable little robots that do nothing but move in a straight line at a constant speed, without any guidance or obstacle avoidance whatsoever. All they have is a little flag asking passers by to help them reach their destination. Here’s what happened:

Details, after the jump.

Given their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, I initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination. Because I built them with minimal technology, I had no way of tracking the Tweenbot’s progress, and so I set out on the first test with a video camera hidden in my purse. I placed the Tweenbot down on the sidewalk, and walked far enough away that I would not be observed as the Tweenbot–a smiling 10-inch tall cardboard missionary–bumped along towards his inevitable fate.

The results were unexpected. Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers. Every time the robot got caught under a park bench, ground futilely against a curb, or became trapped in a pothole, some passerby would always rescue it and send it toward its goal. Never once was a Tweenbot lost or damaged. Often, people would ignore the instructions to aim the Tweenbot in the “right” direction, if that direction meant sending the robot into a perilous situation. One man turned the robot back in the direction from which it had just come, saying out loud to the Tweenbot, “You can’t go that way, it’s toward the road.”

It’s things like this that give me faith in humanity, and more faith in the ability of robots to exploit humanity for their own purposes.

[ Tweenbots ] VIA [ Laughing Squid ]

Comments (3)

Category: Art

Add this post to

Del.icio.us -

Digg

3 Comments

Comment by ethan454

Made Tuesday, 14 of April , 2009 at 9:46 am

This is so cool! I’m suprised that it never once got lost/stolen/damaged. They should try this in different areas (ghettoes, business districts, malls, maybe on an in the middle of nowhere highway, ect.) I wonder if anybody would help a lost cranky-old-lady bot.

Comment by ethan454

Made Tuesday, 14 of April , 2009 at 9:50 am

HO! cranky old lady bot in a wheelchair swinging a cane!!!

Just as long as nobody takes this too far and makes a realistic crawling baby that does this. . .

Comment by Taty Sena

Made Tuesday, 14 of April , 2009 at 2:47 pm

Who says NYers aren’t helpful? Watch how tenderly people help this little thing along…