San Francisco: Kal Spelletich machine/robot performance this Saturday

Machine/robotics performance artist Kal Spelletich will conduct a show of "live audience experiments" in San Francisco this Saturday, January 8, from 8pm until midnight. Kal's work pushes the boundaries of human/machine interaction to their breaking point. I've gotten too friendly with his machines on several occasions and was simultaneously terrified, empowered, and ovewhelmed. Seen here is a piece called "Monkey On Your Back:"

Volunteer wears a backpack with a robot on it. There are flex sensors and an EKG (sensing your heartbeat) in and on gloves the volunteer wears. By manipulating the gloves and moving with the backpack on, the robot on your backpack responds. The EKG inside the gloves picks up a signal from your heart turning on and off a tail and spine on the monkey backpack. Two tilt sensors activate two arms near your shoulders. The flex sensors in the gloves allow two arms with articulated hands to lift up, reach in and out and opening and closing the hands.

Kaltek robotics/machine performance on 1/8/11

• Master Mind robot at the Exploratorium
• Help underwrite Kal Spelletich's robot art show

• [JustMyPOV]

  My three teenage boys would be impressed with that backpack robot. If they had one maybe they’d do a few chores around the house. Maybe.

• [ErikO23]

  Saw a show of his in San Antonio many years ago and it was great. plenty of audience participation and even a little real danger.

  bring earplugs!

• [ahwoo]

  We interviewed this guy years ago when he was passing through Denver. Creative as hell back then too.
  I just uploaded the interview. Here is the tube link:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1YGCe-FG-s

• [Brainspore]

  Kal’s work pushes the boundaries of human/machine interaction to their breaking point.

  Just as long as it’s the humans breaking the machines and not the other way around.

  • [David Pescovitz]

    Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.