Biologically-inspired Robots for Stage Performance
W. Dong, P. M. Countouris, and T. Machover

We are developing three biologically-inspired robots for the production of Tod Machover's new opera, Death and the Powers. The project aims to further the state of the art in the design and control of intelligent robots for stage performance, taking inspiration from product design, mechanical engineering, choreographic design, and human-robot interaction.

Mei-Mei is a six-legged walking robot that was developed as a set piece for the opera. Its design was inspired by the Theo Jansen mechanism in which a rotation movement is converted to a walking pattern through various four-bar linkages. With six legs driven by two separate motors, this unusual robot can move forward, backward, and even turn around with differential steering control. Mei-Mei, as a combination of artistic and engineering efforts, is a poetic moving sculpture that will coordinate with narrative and musical materials in the opera.

Sofa is another moving furniture which we have being working on since January 2010. This modular reconfigurable robot has joints and triangular pyramids which enable itself to crawl and change appearance on the stage (see the two naimations below). It also has moving wings and lighting elements with each module (see the images of a 1/6 scale model below).

Using state-of-the-art control electronics and a novel real-time performance recovery protocol, a gaint lamp, the third element, will also interact with human actors and illuminate the action onstage.

Acknowledgement: