The Irresistible Animacy of Lively Artefacts

This thesis explores the perception of ‘liveliness’, or ‘animacy’, in robotically driven artefacts. This perception is irresistible, pervasive, aesthetically potent and poorly understood. I argue that the Cartesian rationalist tendencies of robotic and artificial intelligence research cultures, and associated cognitivist theories of mind, fail to acknowledge the perceptual and instinctual emotional affects that lively artefacts elicit. The thesis examines how we see artefacts with particular qualities of motion to be alive, and asks what notions of cognition can explain these perceptions. ‘Irresistible Animacy’ is our human tendency to be drawn to the primitive and strangely thrilling nature of experiencing lively artefacts. I have two research methodologies; one is interdisciplinary scholarship and the other is my artistic practice of building lively artefacts. I have developed an approach that draws on first-order cybernetics’ central animating principle of feedback-control, and second-order cybernetics’ concerns with cognition. The foundations of this approach are based upon practices of machine making to embody and perform animate behaviour, both as scientific and artistic pursuits. These have inspired embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended notions of cognition. I have developed an understanding using a theoretical framework, drawing upon literature on visual perception, behavioural and social psychology, puppetry, animation, cybernetics, robotics, interaction and aesthetics. I take as a starting point, the understanding that the visual cortex of the vertebrate eye includes active feature-detection for animate agents in our environment, and actively constructs the causal and social structure of this environment. I suggest perceptual ambiguity is at the centre of all animated art forms. Ambiguity encourages natural curiosity and interactive participation. It also elicits complex visceral qualities of presence and the uncanny. In the making of my own Lively Artefacts, I demonstrate a series of different approaches including the use of abstraction, artificial life algorithms, and reactive techniques

Towards a bio-shading system concept design methodology

Cities and buildings play a critical role in setting the conditions for human well-being while contributing to more just and environmentally conscious societies and economies. The design of environmentally and socially meaningful buildings has benefitted, in the past two decades, from scientific progress in the fields of computation and materials, as well as from a new way of looking into Nature as an inspirational example. This research focuses on the design of shading systems for building façades, assuming that biomimetics and computational design are a valid and proved combination. The main research question is how to develop architectural shading systems mimicking the adaptation strategies of Nature. The challenge is addressed by developing a design methodology for the creation and optimization of solar control systems based on the biological adaptive systems of terrestrial plants; creating a transfer and interpretation process of biological concepts to an architectural lexicon; and creating a universal methodology applicable to a diverse set of climatic, functional and local contexts. The research proposes a bioshading system design methodology, developed on a problem-based approach. Starting with the architectural challenge of design, solutions are sought in Nature to solve specific performance requirements of shading systems. The development of the methodology rests upon an informed process that integrates and interrelates three domains: architecture, Nature, and artifact. The ‘architecture’ domain is based on the conceptual process, the computational and parametric environmental analysis, and a diagnosis that informs the understanding of the performance requirements that need to be fulfilled. The ‘Nature’ domain is defined through an abstraction process: sustained by a mapping of plants’ features and adaptation strategies, the creation of a meme semantics triggers a performance-based design process. The ‘artifact’ domain is the physical materialization of the design concept, enabling its evaluation and emulation. The Nature-inspired design methodology developed in this research makes it possible for architects to solve the challenges of shading building façades, integrating local climate-related performance requirements with formal architectural criteria, using biomimicry as a mediator. In a step-by-step path, the user identifies specific project-related requirements, discovers and explores natural processes that guide inspiration, and conceptualizes a design proposal that is further simulated and prototyped.As cidades e os edifícios desempenham um papel crítico na definição das condições para o bem-estar humano, contribuindo para sociedades e economias mais justas e ambientalmente conscientes. O projeto de edifícios com significado ambiental e social beneficiou, nas últimas duas décadas, do progresso científico nos campos da computação e dos materiais, bem como de uma nova forma de encarar a natureza enquanto modelo inspirador. Esta investigação centra-se no design de sistemas de sombreamento para fachadas de edifícios, assumindo que a biomimética e o design computacional são uma combinação válida e comprovada. A principal questão de investigação é como desenvolver sistemas de sombreamento arquitetónicos mimetizando as estratégias de adaptação da natureza. O desafio é abordado através do desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de projeto para a criação e otimização de sistemas de controlo solar tendo por base os sistemas de adaptação biológicos das plantas vasculares terrestres; criação de um processo de transferência e interpretação de conceitos biológicos para um léxico arquitetónico; e criação uma metodologia universal aplicável a um conjunto diversificado de contextos climáticos, funcionais e locais. A presente investigação propõe uma metodologia de projeto de sistema bioshading, desenvolvida através de uma abordagem problem-based. Partindo do desafio arquitetónico de projeto, são procuradas soluções na natureza para resolver requisitos de desempenho específicos de sistemas de sombreamento. O desenvolvimento da metodologia tem por base um processo informado que integra e interrelaciona três domínios: arquitetura, Natureza e artefacto. O domínio 'arquitetura' tem por base o processo conceptual, na análise ambiental computacional e paramétrica e num diagnóstico que informa o entendimento dos requisitos de desempenho a serem cumpridos. O domínio 'Natureza' é definido por meio de um processo de abstração: sustentado por um mapeamento de recursos e estratégias de adaptação das plantas, a criação de uma semântica de memes desencadeia um processo de design com base no desempenho. O domínio "artefacto" é a materialização física do conceito de design, permitindo a sua avaliação e emulação. A metodologia de design inspirada na natureza desenvolvida neste trabalho de investigação possibilita aos arquitetos resolverem os desafios de sombreamento de fachadas de edifícios, integrando os requisitos locais de desempenho relacionados com o clima com critérios formais de arquitetura, usando a biomimética como mediadora. Num percurso progressivo evolutivo, o utilizador identifica requisitos específicos do projeto, descobre e explora processos naturais que orientam a inspiração e conceptualiza uma proposta de projeto que é simulada e prototipada

15th Conference on Dynamical Systems Theory and Applications DSTA 2019 ABSTRACTS

From Preface: This is the fifteen time when the conference „Dynamical Systems – Theory and Applications” gathers a numerous group of outstanding scientists and engineers, who deal with widely understood problems of theoretical and applied dynamics. Organization of the conference would not have been possible without a great effort of the staff of the Department of Automation, Biomechanics and Mechatronics. The patronage over the conference has been taken by the Committee of Mechanics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. It is a great pleasure that our invitation has been accepted by so many people, including good colleagues and friends as well as a large group of researchers and scientists, who decided to participate in the conference for the first time. With proud and satisfaction we welcome nearly 255 persons from 47 countries all over the world. They decided to share the results of their research and many years experiences in the discipline of dynamical systems by submitting many very interesting papers. This booklet contains a collection of 338 abstracts, which have gained the acceptance of referees and have been qualified for publication in the conference edited books.Technical editor and cover design: Kaźmierczak, MarekCover design: Ogińska, Ewelina; Kaźmierczak, Mare

Fabricate

Bringing together pioneers in design and making within architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, materials technology and computation, Fabricate is a triennial international conference, now in its third year (ICD, University of Stuttgart, April 2017). Each year it produces a supporting publication, to date the only one of its kind specialising in Digital Fabrication. The 2017 edition features 32 illustrated articles on built projects and works in progress from academia and practice, including contributions from leading practices such as Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Arup, and Ron Arad, and from world-renowned institutions including ICD Stuttgart, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton University, The Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL) and the Architectural Association