Robot Arm & P5 Human-Robot Co-creation through Mandala Art

The workshop was held as part of the alumni lectures for the 10-year anniversary of the School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe, at Bethanien Creative Quarter, Berlin (July 2024).




Short Description
In this workshop, we will explore the collaborative possibilities between humans and machines through the co-creation of mandala art using a robotic arm and open-source tools. Mandalas have been used for centuries as tools for meditation and are seen as reflections of the universe and ourselves within it. They symbolize not only interconnectedness but also the transient nature of existence - traditionally, on the final day, monks sweep up the mandala. In this workship it is a medium to reflect on human-machine collaboration and investigate where an artist's agency lies in the process. Along the way, we also learn technical aspects: the basics of robotics, kinematics, websockets, gcode, p5.js.

Recording of collaboratively creating a mandala. Each participant can create their own pattern using p5.js, which is then projected around one of the concentric circles of the mandala on the shared canvas. All changes are in real time. On the left side, the shared canvas with the mandala is shown, where each participant can see the changes. On the right side, six sketches from six participants are shown as they design and change parameters.
Snapshot of the main canvas on the left, alongside six sketches from each participant.
Shared canvas
RoboDK - Simulation of performing G-code
xArm Studio, used just for simple demonstration. We used cusom built library in p5 js to draw, collaborate and controll robot in realtime.