Feral Robotic Dogs

Link to New Media wiki home

Link to timeline of New media artworks

Natilie Jeremijenko feral robotic dogs

By Michael Roberts

Natilie Jeremijenko underwent a project to create little robotic toy dogs that are available to the public as they are sold as toys, into mechanisms that sniff out pollution and toxins in the air of the surroundings the dog has been placed in. And also behave and move like movements of dogs. To receive data that demonstrates that the movement of feral dogs, environmental information about the world and the local surroundings of where the data had been taken, increase peoples interest in the technology being used, and to help activists and cultural work to increase the awareness of the pollution that is causing health problems commonly found in today’s society. The technology being used on the robotic toy dogs included a sensor, data collector and path following behaviour, which made the dogs follow the parameter being sensed. As well as the stock technology of the toy robotic dog, this made it bark and walk/move. The dogs will behave as if they are sniffing out environmental toxins. These dogs can expose the data of a small area effectively and quickly. The mechanically enhanced toy dogs create a fun and efficient way of receiving data and sending the message to the public about pollution.

http://proboscis.org.uk/prps/docs/p_jeremijenko.html http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/02/26/robotic-pollution-sniffing-eco-dogs/