German artist Ottonie von Roeder builds a robot together with Hungarian researchers

German artist Ottonie von Roeder is working with researchers and engineers at the Computer and Automation Research Institute (SZTAKI) to build a robot, who will arrive in Budapest in September thanks to the Goethe Institute, SZTAKI informed MTI on Tuesday.

During her stay in Budapest, Ottonie von Roeder will learn about the programme of the National Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence led by SZTAKI, the laboratories, developments and projects of the Research Laboratory of Engineering and Business Intelligence, and together with the researchers and engineers, she will create an artificial intelligence-driven robotic installation.
The project will create a robotic system that can perform tasks requiring a high degree of adaptability using various artificial intelligence algorithms. The German artist is also making a film about the project in order to present the whole process to the audience. The purpose of his visit is to get inspiration from artificial intelligence and engineering.
“The AI Residency cooperation programme, organised by SZTAKI and the Goethe Institute, helps me to deepen my knowledge of technological possibilities and find new applications for my experiments on automation in different fields”, quotes the German artist, whose aim is to help uncover the potential of automation and show that by participating in technological progress, we can influence the future of work. As he said, the joint work can also inspire SZTAKI's research to make the Institute's work more comprehensible to the wider public.
As Dániel Horváth, the project's expert leader pointed out, the program aims to exploit the large-scale advancement of algorithms based on machine learning, including so-called deep learning, and to transfer these techniques into the world of robotics.
“We put great emphasis on creating an interesting work from an artistic point of view, in addition to the scientific value. In doing so, we worked closely with the artist Ottonie von Roeder from the very beginning of the project to develop the right concept", he stressed.
Ottonie Von Roeder studied at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in Germany, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel, and the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and currently works in Leipzig and Eindhoven, primarily in the field of critical and speculative art.
His works have been exhibited in Vienna, Marseille, Leipzig and Eindhoven, among others. In 2017, he launched his Post-Labouratory project, in which he deals with the world after human work, as well as with work as an automated process.