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 The Feral Project Some toy robot dogs now have a new life. Thank to Natalie Jeremijenko who runs a research lab in the art department at the University of California, San Diego. She is changing the way we think about technology. “In her Feral Robotic Dog project, she works with teams of high-school students to take apart toy robots and rebuild their physiques and behavior. Armed with pollution sensors, a lowered center of gravity, and all-terrain wheels, the Feral Robotic Dogs head out across the landscape in search of toxins. Released into landfills and urban areas from Arizona to Ireland, the dogs are programmed to seek out some of the same pollutants used in their own manufacture, drawing attention to the toxic nature of high-tech industry. Whereas most consumer robots are designed to dance, yap, or vacuum the rug, the Feral Robotic Dogs are equipped with a social agenda.”
 Why reverse-engineer a commercial toy? Jeremijenko’s “open-source” tactics aim to exploit the distribution power of the corporate toymakers, whose economy of scale makes these digital dogs an inexpensive way to get a sophisticated robotics platform into the hands of kids. Her project also helps kids recognize the consequences of consumer choices and imagine toys and technologies with a different purpose.
(inhabitat)References: xdesign.ucsd.edu, inhabitat Comment: on Pollution-Sniffing Robot Dogs |
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