Design @ Day: Urban Prototyping and Friendly Robots - the Making of Woodie

Vivid Ideas at Chatswood Chase: Marius Hoggenmueller, PhD candidate at the Design Lab, The University of Sydney

Autonomous systems will be soon entering the urban space - from delivery robots, law enforcement agents and autonomous vehicles. While the driver-less car is a familiar concept thanks to the media, there is not been much research into how robots can be designed to create engaging and playful interventions in the city, bringing joy and happiness to residents. 

In this talk, Marius Hoggenmueller, creative coder, interaction designer and researcher, reveals the secrets of designing the installation “Woodie”, a free-moving robot that draws with chalk on the ground, part of this year’s Vivid Sydney at Chatswood. Making a link to urban prototyping initiatives, the talk will discuss how urban robots can contribute to new forms of media architectural interventions and digital placemaking. 

Design @ Day is a Vivid edition of the Design @ Dusk talk series on design research, brought to you by the Design Lab at the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design & Planning, and the Willoughby Council. 

Please join us for these inspiring and fast-paced talks exploring the possibilities for design to affect change.