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A very cool (and heartening!) experiment from the folks at TweenBots.com.
Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.
Given their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, I initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination. Because I built them with minimal technology, I had no way of tracking the Tweenbot’s progress, and so I set out on the first test with a video camera hidden in my purse. I placed the Tweenbot down on the sidewalk, and walked far enough away that I would not be observed as the Tweenbot––a smiling 10-inch tall cardboard missionary––bumped along towards his inevitable fate.
The results were unexpected. Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers. Every time the robot got caught under a park bench, ground futilely against a curb, or became trapped in a pothole, some passerby would always rescue it and send it toward its goal. Never once was a Tweenbot lost or damaged. Often, people would ignore the instructions to aim the Tweenbot in the “right” direction, if that direction meant sending the robot into a perilous situation. One man turned the robot back in the direction from which it had just come, saying out loud to the Tweenbot, “You can’t go that way, it’s toward the road.”
Thanks Katy!
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Everyone loves cute little robots! It’s always nice to see a story that shows humanity isn’t a total crapshow.
Wow. That was so cute to watch! I dunno that I would’ve done anything. Maybe. But it’s funny to see how people react. Some people were like, “ya, whatever”, while others would actually get down, read the sign, take a look around, and then send the robot on it’s correct path. Def a nice video. Thanks
that was adorable =)
maybe we should try sending a human out next time
That was so adorable. It’s put me in a very good mood. Does anyone know the name of the music on the video?
The music was hilarious! I loved how it grew deep and pensive when the tweenbot was stuck under the bench!
I could have watched that for hours. How cute! Totally made my night!
There is hope yet!!! Yay.