Finished Ada

Proof of Concept Reflection

Right now our robot has basic functionality to create art from input from a website. This is the base of what we want our project to do and is a good proof that this idea is feasible. The chassis we bought worked well for minimal set up. However, the motor controller is not functioning very well. We are currently looking into alternatives though we really liked the simplicity of the motor controller board.

Our goals for the completion of this project:

Hardware:
        2-3 changeable colors. This would add an additional attribute in creating art
        light sensor to keep Ada from going off the edge of the paper

Software:
       Write functions to easily interact with Ada from a coding stand point
                  javascript
                  c++

Lessons:
       Create a lesson plan that revolves around Ada
                 create exercises for AI and coding
       Test it for difficulty and fun

Week 10/28

The name Ada was inspired by the first computer scientist, Ada the countess of Lovelace.

Ada Iteration I

In her early stages, Ada was just a pencil in some cardboard. The wheels did not turn very well and her drawings were minimal. However, we did set up a website that sends commands to the two motors to control her movement. The website is live at "http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mtmyers/" 

Ada Iteration II

We ordered a chassis online to improve Ada's mobility. Ada now effectively moves in all directions. We also added a battery power source and holder for multiple colors!

Ada's first work!

Though we did experience some difficulty... (sound recommended)

But we eventually got her to work!

Timeline

Problem And Solution

Research on Robot Art

Gizmodo.com

"The robot artisté (or the "mobile sensory image production mechanism," if you want to get technical) was built by Travis Purrington and Danilo Wanner, two MA students in visual communication at the Basel Academy of Art and Design. His parts are fairly simple: two wheels, an Arduino board, a handful of servos, and two aluminum arms that each hold an ink pen. He also has touch and light sensors, which help him search for paper nearby. When he finds it, he selects two colors and goes to town—using a random series of movements generated by his Arduino UNO brain. "Usually he takes two colors that are fairly similar and puts them next to each other," says a fan in a short mockumentary about the bot. "They provoke a lot of emotions." 

This is an example of a robot that creates abstract art. I want to take this idea one step further and have it be inspired by user input

You Can Give A Robot A Paintbrush But Does it Create Art

"Van Arman, 41, says bitPaintr paints totally on its own — as long as you want it to — and adds that it has developed its own style. He likes how it's hard to distinguish whether bitPaintr's paintings, which start at $50, were created by a human or a robot. He says they "dance on the edge" of something in between."

This is an example of a more complex robot that paints more realistic art but plays with the idea of a robot being capable of having it's own style. If a robot creates the art is it actually art?

robotart.org

"The 2017 “2nd Annual” international robotic art competition with $100,000 in cash prizes is now open for team registration.  The contest’s goal is to challenge teams to produce something visually beautiful with robotics – that is, to have a robot use physical brushes and paint to create an artwork.  It’s ideal for students or professionals involved in robotic planning and image processing – especially those who have an appreciation for art.  "

This is a really cool art competition I found that actually pits robots against each other to see which one creates the best art. I think this really shows the interest people have in creating artwork with robots.

Problems and Solutions

5 system components

Dominate Design

A dominate design is a product that is greatly better than previous designs. By better I mean it is more convenient, practical, scalable, and fits into society. Here are some examples of dominate designs and things that came before them

Lightbulb: gas lamp, candle, torch
iPod: cd players, record players, phonograph
Photo editing software: hand cut photo's, dark room
doors: drape, giant stone, open doorway
Zipper: buttons, buckles, string, velcro

In education there are also dominate designs

Smart board: whiteboard, chalkboard
Google Scholar: library, books, ask your parents
Microsoft Word: paper and pen, type writer

I think in the future virtual reality will become a big thing. It removes the need for buildings while still having the ability to give interaction. I could see it replacing physical schools in the future.

IPod Release Video Thoughts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0SVBCJqLs

The video linked above is the 2001 Apple release of the iPod. What I found interesting was that the iPod wasn't the first portable mp3 player like I had thought growing up. What apple did was not come up with the new idea but make the old idea 10x's-100x's better. They took a large market, anyone who listens to music, and gave them a product with a great design. The iPod was small, could hold all the songs a user would want, an easy interface, and could download songs fast. Even now in 2016 there isn't a new design for listening to music that is 10x's-100x's better than the iPod. I image there won't be until we can download music into our brains and power it with thought.

Initial Ideas

I want to create an AI that takes user input as inspiration for the abstract art it creates. I'm hoping to be able to use this AI to create a teaching opportunity for young girls to experience coding. In order to do this I would create kits out of the project. The difficult parts would be already pre built and there would be instructions to put together the other parts. I would also do the same thing for the code. The code would be a great way for the user to be able to explore the more creative side of computer science. There would be easy starting tasks with solutions, but then also open ended AI coding tasks. This could be a really fun way to get more interest in computer science.