Artbotics, May 2009

Instructors: Jayne Hileman (Art) & Jean Mehta (Computer Science)

This 3-credit hour course fulfills a Literature/Fine Arts requirement in General Education

Artbotics explores the intersections between art, computer science, and robotics. The course is project-driven. Students learn basic principles in both the fields of computer science and art, then put them into practice by creating interactive, tangible works shown in public settings.

Guest lectures from practitioners in the fields, such as kinetic sculptor Christine Rojek, provide inspiration and models for student projects.

Working in the Labs:

Students learned to connect the various electronic components and program the "Cricket". All final projects included movement and sound.

Final Projects

Christina Aviles made a birthday cake.

When the start button is pressed the cake rotates and 'sings' "Happy Birthday to You". In order to play the music, Christina had to find the frequency of each note and have the Cricket 'beep' on that frequency for the required time.

Jennifer Escobar made 'Mr. Bubble-Bot'.

When the start button is pressed his eyes light up and the bubble wand rotates dipping into a reservoir of soapy liquid. A fan blows the liquid through the wand creating a stream of bubbles from his mouth.

Marilee Elizondo made a rotating soccor ball which also plays a song. This was a tribute to Marilee's sister who recently died. The photos on the ball are of her sister and the holes in the ball represent the parts missing from the familiy's life now that she is gone.


Ursula Radwanski made 'Rocker Robot'. When you press a button, The Guess Who's "American Woman" plays and the platform tilts in a random direction to the music. Its ball joint torso and springlike arms create additional jerking movements, mimicking a rocker "jamming". To play the music Ursula had to find the frequency of each note and have the Cricket 'beep' on that frequency for the required time for each note.

Tamika Walker made a face with a rotating hat. When a light is shone on the sensor on his eyebrow a tune is played and the hat rotates.