The art of noise: Robot paints a sound picture

Illinois – American artist Benjamin Grosser has created a machine that translates audio input into brushstrokes.

The interactive robotic painting machine creates paintings by translating sound captured by a microphone. During each performance, the sound is translated using a genetic algorithm, which instructs the brush on direction and pressure depending on an analysis of the audio.

‘I’ve built a robotic painting machine that uses artificial intelligence to paint its own body of work and to make its own decisions,’ says the artist. ‘While doing so, it listens to its environment and considers what it hears as input into the painting process. It changes what it does, just as we are subtly (or not-so-subtly) influenced by what others tell us.’

A number of artists and designers are exploring the interaction between humans and machines, and how technology can become more seamlessly responsive. For more details, see our Intuitive Futures macro trend.