Beautiful Wind Walkers

December 6, 2002 2:23 PM

Walking on Wind. Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who creates sculptures that use wind power to walk. They're amazingly lifelike and organic - like a physical version of Sodaplay. More images (and a short video) at his website. (found on boingboing)
posted by O9scar (6 comments total)

Also discussed here. Thanks for the additional popular science link, though. Jansen's stuff is pretty dang cool.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 2:41 PM on December 6, 2002

Wonderfully wonderful. Would that I could beam my working self (OK, metafiltering self) to that beach and watch those guys walk.
posted by kozad at 2:44 PM on December 6, 2002

Argh. The dreaded double post. I searched for it and everything. Oh well.
posted by O9scar at 2:55 PM on December 6, 2002

I missed it the first time. Totally excellent!!

Has Terry Gilliam seen this I wonder?
posted by marvin at 4:48 PM on December 6, 2002

this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
posted by mcsweetie at 7:22 AM on December 7, 2002

There's also a pretty amazing short (and strangely narrated) documentary about the creator here.
It goes more into how he uses genetic algorithms to help design the walkers, and how he hopes to have herds of them on the beaches, helping to maintain the costline against rising water levels.
posted by majcher at 9:49 AM on December 7, 2002