Cyberflora

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The Cyberflora project is just one of the many projects developed by the media lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The project is part of the Anima Machina program at MIT- a program that was developed by Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences and Director of the Robotic Life Group Cynthia Breazeal. The Cyberflora project allowed Breazeal and students involved in the media lab to investigate emotional intelligence in a breed of robots that combines both plant and animal characteristics.

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[edit] The Garden


Breazeal's mechanical flower garden is composed of four eye-catching species of robotic flora. Each species is an amalgamation of animal-like conduct and flower-like attributes that is put into a robotic representation that (or should I say who) is fully aware of its surrounding environment and can respond to stimuli in a "life-like and distinct manner." Sophisticated electromechanical systems, hidden within the flowers' shells, "allow petals to open and close and tentacles to reach or retreat in response to human movement." Soft music, varied throughout the exhibit, is played in the background as people interact with flora.

"Delicate and graceful, Cyberflora communicates a future vision of robots that shall intrigue us intellectually and touch us emotionally. The installation explores a style of human-robot interaction that is fluid, dynamic, and harmonious."

[edit] Flowers


"Silicone and aluminum blossoms use capacitive sensing to detect a nearby hand, causing them to gracefully sway and glow bright colors."


"Inspired by the movement of tall grass to a sweeping breeze, aluminum tines bob and ripple with excitement as a hand passes over them."


"Translucent acrylic segments give this orchid-like flower its serpentine quality of movement as it orients to the warmth of a human body."


"Copper blossoms with thermal sensors in the aluminum leaves sense the warmth of people and orient towards them as a flower to the sun."

[edit] Design Team

Undergraduate group members:

  • Heather Knight
  • Blake Brasher
  • Dan McAnulty

[edit] Exhibits

Cyberflora was debuted in April 2003 at the National Design Triennial which was hosted by the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City, New York. The exhibit began on April 22, 2003 and ended on January 25, 2004. To see a video of Cyberflora's installation into the National Design Triennial, visit this website: Cyberflora Video

[edit] References