Robocolleague
12 years ago
by marie
in Uncategorized
Interesting article from The Economist, on how "Robots are getting more powerful. That need not be bad news for workers."
"WATSON, an IBM supercomputer, spectacularly beat its human rivals in a 2011 edition of “Jeopardy!”, an American quiz show. It has got smarter since then. Its components have shrunk from room-size to briefcase-size; its processing speed has more than tripled. The sleeker, faster Watson is now being put to commercial use: its first application is suggesting treatments in cancer clinics. Many people fear that Watson exemplifies a trend toward the displacement of human workers by machines."
Read full report here ‘European Audiences: 2020 and beyond’ conclusions are out!
12 years ago
by marie
in Uncategorized
An inspiring conference “European Audiences: 2020 and beyond” took place in October 2012, brought together some 800 culture professionals in Brussels, discussing on how to engage more meaningfully with the audiences of today and tomorrow.
Organised by the European Commission, the conference presented examples of projects such as Robots and Avatars that have taken their audiences very seriously, sometimes from the very early stages of the creative process.'
The level of participation and debate clearly showed what is considered by some to be a new cultural revolution: audiences are hungry for engagement, for shared experiences, for a sense of community. There is thus a need to stimulate exchange of practice in this field, to support cultural organisations to learn faster by peer learning in order to adapt more quickly to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.'
Audience development is one of the priorities of the EU's future funding programme for the cultural and creative sectors, "Creative Europe", which will replace the current Culture programme in 2014.
Full Report available Here ‘The rise of the robot’ on BBC Business Daily
12 years ago
'The rise of the robot' explored in BBC Business News / Business Daily on 31 Dec 2012.
"Justin Rowlatt meets Ghislaine Boddington, creative director of body>data>space, a company which specialises in how new technology can improve the way we communicate."
Download here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/bizdaily/all BBC Arabic 4 Tech reports on ‘Robots and Avatars’
12 years ago
From November to December 2012, BBC ARABIC technology programme, 4 Tech dedicated a series of 3 report on Robots and Avatars, covered by journalist Anees Al Qudaihi.
The reports explore the creative and technological process of 3 key works presented as part of Robots and Avatars: 'Outreach' an architectural / kinetic conceptual work by Alex Haw (atmos) with Mauritius Seeger (dr. mo), 'Music for Flesh II' an interactive music performance for enhanced body by Marco Donnarumma, and Robots and Avatars Commission 'Visions of our Communal Dreams', a new media art installation blending virtual, physical and networked environments by Michael Takeo Magruder with collaborators.
- 7 November 2012: Marco Donnarumma on 'Music for Flesh II' from 15:00 to 20:15. WATCH HERE.
- 1 December 2012: Ghislaine Boddington on 'Robots and Avatars' and 'Visions of our Communal Dreams' from 18:30 to the end. WATCH HERE
- 9 December 2012: Alex Haw / ATMOS on 'Outreach' from 16:00 to 20:40. WATCH HERE ‘America’s mindless killer robots must be stopped’ by Noel Sharkey
Read Robots and Avatars' project champion Noel Sharkey's opinion column on the mindless use of robots in war in this week edition of the Guardian (3 December 2012).
'The rational approach to the inhumanity of automating death by machines beyond the control of human handlers is to prohibit it
Are we losing our humanity by automating death?
Human Rights Watch (HRW) thinks so. In a new report, co-published with Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic, they argue the "case against killer robots". This is not the stuff of science fiction. The killer robots they refer to are not Terminator-style cyborgs hellbent on destroying the human race. There is not even a whiff of Skynet.
These are the mindless robots I first warned Guardian readers about in 2007 – robots programmed to independently select targets and kill them. Five years on from that call for legislation, there is still no international discussion among state actors, and the proliferation of precursor technologies continues unchecked.'
Read the article.More international press coverage for Robots and Avatars
12 years ago
Robots and Avatars Artist Marco Donnarumma was interviewed about Music on Flesh II on BBC ARABIC Technology programme, 4 Tech, in the framework of a 3 episodes coverage dedicated to Robots and Avatars by Anees Al Qudaihi.
Upcoming episodes will feature Ghislaine Boddington on 'Visions of Our Communal Dreams' and Alex Haw on 'Outreach'.
You can access Marco's interview here from 15:00 to 20:15.
‘Body Motion and Motion Capture’ Workshop at Altart as part of Robots and Avatars
12 years ago
body>data>space associate director, Leanne Hammacott together with Jo Blowers (Contact Improvisation specialist from the UK) have been to Cluj, Romania to deliver a series of workshop days from 21st to 24th October as part of Robots and Avatars with our Partner AltArt and Groundfloor Group and a group of dancers, technologists and visual creatives.
The group has been exploring how we can represent the body in multiple ways on and off-line, working with motion capture and Kinect technologies to explore new possibilities of artistic expression with the body and virtual ID.
Movers: Bodolai Balázs, Jo Blowers, Kata Bodoki-Halmen, Alina Ciceu, Laura Codreanu, Racz Endre, Sinkó Ferenc, Both József. Alina Porumb, Zsuzsanna Vass, Gothárd Vera.
Visuals: Anna Peter,Alex Popa, Istvan Szakats
Support and documentation: Lavinia Jaba , Vaczi Roland , Emilia Zbranca
Organizers: Leanne Hammacott (body>data>space), Kelemen Kinga, (Groundfloor), Rarita Zbranca (Altart)
More pictures coming soon! Ghislaine Boddington presenting ‘Robots and Avatars’ at ‘European Audiences: 2020 and beyond’ Conference in Brussels
12 years ago
Organised by the EU Commission and Culture in Motion, the Conference 'European Audiences: 2020 and beyond' conference recognizes audience development as a crucial priority in the proposal for the Creative Europe Programme for the period 2014-2020.
Ghislaine Boddington will present body>data>space pioneer methodology in the creative engagement of the audience through digital and interactive tools, focusing especially on Robots and Avatars EU project.
Bringing together top level cultural practitioners and operators involved in EU collaborative projects and recognized as innovators in engaging the public, the Conference will focus on audience development as a strategic, dynamic and interactive process of making the arts widely accessible.
16-17 October 2012 at the EGG in Brussels.
Read more about Ghislaine's presentation on this page.
More information and reports. 
