Comments on: Kinetic sculpture

Kinetic sculpture

wallstreet1929 — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:01:42 -0800

Kinetic sculpture. Will stroll the beach with you.

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:07:38 -0800

Wow! Scary and beautiful at the same time! Great find, wall-'29!

By: buriednexttoyou

buriednexttoyou — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:21:26 -0800

pre vio usly

By: Iosephus

Iosephus — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:24:20 -0800

Daaaamn. The mind, it boggles. Channeling Agent Cooper: "This must be where tumbleweeds go when they die."

By: Uther Bentrazor

Uther Bentrazor — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:27:37 -0800

I love this guy, because you know it's going to take just one investor to call him "insane", or one broken heart before those things are turned loose on the city and Batman must stop him and his horrible, beautiful wind machines.

By: jfuller

jfuller — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:46:09 -0800

Seen these before but no objection to seeing them again. The guy's hardware development skills are as impressive as his imagination. But really these are just first halting steps because you should be able to turn them loose and have them wander around forever, so basically they need to be bewitched. First successfully bewitched model, he can name it Galatea.

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:53:45 -0800

I've seen these before, but not the fabric covered one, which I think is fantastic. Thanks!

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Sat, 05 May 2007 06:59:47 -0800

It's like anime, come to life. Thank yoU!

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 05 May 2007 07:11:29 -0800

Beautiful. I wonder how they are controlled, so that they don't run people over on a windy day.

By: Standeck

Standeck — Sat, 05 May 2007 07:22:56 -0800

Should be useful for clearing minefields. Once anyway.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Sat, 05 May 2007 07:41:41 -0800

Please see essexjan's photos! She is so far beyond awesome, rilly.

By: wallstreet1929

wallstreet1929 — Sat, 05 May 2007 07:42:24 -0800

For Buried, other newness.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Sat, 05 May 2007 07:58:52 -0800

Beautiful. I wonder how they are controlled, so that they don't run people over on a windy day. Is that a trick question?

By: jouke

jouke — Sat, 05 May 2007 08:01:23 -0800

wikipedia on the sculptor

By: mrzarquon

mrzarquon — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:01:37 -0800

The Strandbeest looks like it is actually in a state of continuoiusly falling over, and leg is extended to catch it, pulling on other legs to get in place for the next step. It is an elegant and beautiful solution. Now can I build one big enough for me to ride it? I think it would fit in well at the solstice parade in fremont this year.

By: 517

517 — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:14:11 -0800

The American version.

By: porpoise

porpoise — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:25:37 -0800

I can't find the video nor the reference right now, but there are people who advocate that motor programs like walking don't have a lot to do not with the nervous system but how the structural anatomy is set up. The demonstration was a model of a human pelvis and leg that would walk on its own (and off the table) once set in motion. Looked something like the sculpture in the video, but freakier.

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:35:42 -0800

Another Strandbeest video.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:48:04 -0800

Well thank Zeus for the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, or else we would spend all eternity being dominated by our winged multi-legged Dutch overlords.

By: sour cream

sour cream — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:51:31 -0800

Yes, this guy is a genius.

By: bhouston

bhouston — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:03:16 -0800

Amazing. Anyone know the song/artist behind the music in that video?

By: bhouston

bhouston — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:04:57 -0800

perpendicular millipede?

By: brain_drain

brain_drain — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:15:08 -0800

Hi, Jesus? I don't need you to carry me over the sand any more. Got it covered. Thanks and say hi to your dad. Regards, Theo Jansen

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:15:20 -0800

HOLY CRAP ON A KAISER ROLL I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:18:31 -0800

Looks like they have been talked about here since 2002. Why me no see before now? My above statement stands.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:22:52 -0800

The American version. posted by 517 Yes, of course the American version has to have a loud, smoke-spewing engine, and clank along on asphalt proclaiming its imminent arrival. YAY AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: swordfishtrombones

swordfishtrombones — Sat, 05 May 2007 10:27:00 -0800

Amazing. Anyone know the song/artist behind the music in that video? It's "February" from Calendarsongs, you can listen to it here.

By: TungstenChef

TungstenChef — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:28:33 -0800

This is beyond cool.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:35:37 -0800

Exquisite geometry and engineering. What a treat. Been loving Theo Jansen's scientific artworks since 2002. This video has even more of his creatures. Really nice, thanks. Very much in the SodaPlay family of creativity. He then lets them roam free on the beach, measures their success, and updates his model. From his website, in discussing his work, his first creation was "a project with a big flying saucer, which could really fly. It flew over the town of Delft in 1980 and brought the people in the street and the police in commotion. Since about ten years he is occupied with the making of a new nature. Not pollen or seeds but plastic yellow tubes are used as the basic matierial of this new nature. He makes skeletons which are able to walk on the wind. Eventualy he wants to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives." Would have loved to see a video of that " big flying saucer" and people's reactions to it. Google images of Theo Jansen's work.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:38:54 -0800

"The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds." I love how, to me anyway, these works of kinetic art are simultaneously beautiful and ugly. There's a beauty in their movement as if like elephants traversing great distances, or birds flying south for the winter, but the rough skeletal like structure of these moving works of engineered art is alien and off-putting. What would an urban construction site look like if it picked itself up off the ground and went to get a pizza? That's the question I don't think anyone ever asked, and this guy answers it. Def beyond cool.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:44:41 -0800

This one "weighes 2. tons, but can be set into motion by one person. It stands 4.70 meters tall. Because of its height it catches enough wind to start moving." [sic.] It's shown in the Poster's linked video, but click the video link on that page, and you can hear the metallic clanking. Freaky!

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:48:43 -0800

Oh, and to answer this: Now can I build one big enough for me to ride it? I think it would fit in well at the solstice parade in fremont this year. posted by mrzarquon The above linked version "is equipped with passenger seating and can be used for transport."

By: snoktruix

snoktruix — Sat, 05 May 2007 12:26:23 -0800

It says on the wikipedia page about the artist that he uses a computer program to genetically breed his designs. I want to see some screenshots!

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Sat, 05 May 2007 12:55:41 -0800

MUST HAVE NOW. ::runs to art supply store to get balsa and mylar::

By: parallax7d

parallax7d — Sat, 05 May 2007 13:03:08 -0800

How would genetics figure into mechanical design? It's probably just a flashy way of saying "designed on a computer". It's a great idea to have these roaming around on their own in packs, scaring little children, walking over sunbathers, destroying sand castles, smashing against the seawall.

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Sat, 05 May 2007 13:04:45 -0800

Pick me up a couple tubes of glue and some paper bags, wouldya? Going to be a long weekend.

By: Bort

Bort — Sat, 05 May 2007 14:12:49 -0800

How would genetics figure into mechanical design? There is a computer search/optimization heuristic called a genetic algorithm and it has been applied to mechanical design.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 05 May 2007 14:14:17 -0800

Dizzy, you're not going to huff glue fumes from a bag are you?

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Sat, 05 May 2007 15:10:30 -0800

That would be silly. I'm gonna make a kite. For my mind.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sat, 05 May 2007 15:19:57 -0800

From Wiki link for those too lazy... I mean busy to click it: Genetic algorithms can be modified to solve a variety of problems ... and in the case of Theo Jansen's creations, complex systems. Some measure of "fitness" is introduced into the algorithm; in Theo's case it is to survive on the beach while moving around within two enclosing lines on the wet sand near the ocean, and the dry sand at the edge of the beach. Those designs best at the assigned task within the modeled beach environment are bred together and graded again. Over time complex designs emerge ... He then lets them roam free on the beach, measures their success, and updates his model. Cool!

By: frogan

frogan — Sat, 05 May 2007 16:11:10 -0800

So, clearly, wind power will never work for energy generation.

By: milestogo

milestogo — Sat, 05 May 2007 18:40:55 -0800

beautiful. as nickyskye said, they seem like the digital creations at sodaplay brought to life. great find.

By: milestogo

milestogo — Sat, 05 May 2007 18:43:04 -0800

well, I pooped that link up. once again, sodaplay

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Sun, 06 May 2007 01:14:11 -0800

This guy is the only reason, i repeat the only reason, everyone in my family keeps a primed and ready to go flame-thrower ready in their basements at all time. Some of us don't live in fear.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 06 May 2007 10:09:20 -0800

Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race.