Sixteen Birds: fabric robots

Sixteen Birds is an installation of 16 fabric robots designed to resemble simple brush drawings. Designed by Chico MacMurtrie of Amorphic Robot Works, they're on display in Pittsburgh's Wood Street Gallery until April

As viewers enter the room, the tapered, joined cone-shapes gradually inflate with air, lengthen and take form, eventually reaching out with a graceful wingspan, robust with life. The Birds then begin their stationary journey with a slow, elegant flapping motion, all 16 in a randomly generated sequence. The pneumatic mechanism that animates the work creates a constant, rhythmic breathing sound.

Here's how they made them. I went to check these out the other evening, but arrived too early: they were just re-inflating them!

[#1 posted by Anonymous , January 30, 2009 6:51 AM]

Robots are cool and all, but please don't put media that plays on load on the front page.

[#2 posted by claud9999 , January 30, 2009 2:28 PM]

Sorry, Shih Chieh Huang did it earlier and better, using PC modding fans, power supplies, LED blinkies, and whatnot to make fantastic creatures with a variety of motions, including plastic bag bladders that inflate and deflate. These were absolutely mesmirizing and one of the many highlights of the (far under-reported!) 01sj.org festival.

http://01sj.org/wp-content/themes/zer01/gallery/popup.php?image=wp-content/gallery/2008/shih-chieh-huang-twilight-zone-2008.jpg&title=Shih%20Chieh%20Huang,%20detail%20from%20Twilight%20Zone,%202008.%2001SJ%20Biennial%20Exhibition%20%22Superlight.%22%20Photograph%20by%20Everett%20Taasevigen&caption=