Developed by Minimaform, The Petting Zoo at the FRAC center, Orléans, France is a futuristic spin-off to the traditional concept. In this unique installations creatures of artificial intelligence have been developed to mimic animal-human interactions. In doing so, this project raises new awareness about the future of communications and stimulative environments.
Courtesy of Minimaform
The installation consists of three robotic arms or tentacles called pets which interact through movement, illumination, and sound. These pets have internal mechanisms of recognition which allow them to track gestural activity and identify multiple users by real-time cameras and blob tracking. The responses generated thus are not repetitive and help them evolve personalities over time.
Courtesy of Minimaform
The environment consists of a darkened room with the 3 pets being the center of attention. Stepping into the installation, the viewer feels transported into a space-age setup.
The pets are highly evolved and exhibit a multitude of emotions including even boredom if the humans around are not interacting. A new form of human sensory reaction is thus explored and the boundaries of technological application in the art also reach a new high.
Courtesy of Minimaform
By Akansha Gupta
