Registration now open for 2nd annual Robotic Art Competition

Image: Oliver Deussen and Thomas Lindemeier, University of Konstanz

The 2017 second annual robotic art competition with $100,000 in cash prizes is now open for team registration. An international competition for all ages, the contest’s goal is to challenge teams to produce something visually beautiful with robotics—that is, to have a robot use physical brushes and paint to create an artwork. It’s ideal for students or professionals involved in robotic planning and image processing, especially those who have an appreciation for art.

There is no cost to enter and any robotic system can be used to produce the artwork. While most teams are using existing robotic arms, the contest is open to custom hardware. Teams can enter up to six paintings in each of the competition categories of “original artwork” and “reinterpreted artwork” where a reference image or existing artwork is used as a reference.

We will again have a combination of professional art critics, tech celebrities, and the general public score the artwork. You can also signup now to be notified when it’s time to come see the artwork submissions and vote.

Image: National Taiwan University

In last year’s competition, the expectations were modest—get as many teams as possible to setup a robot that can do any sort of painting. We believe that we succeeded. In total, there were 16 teams from seven countries who submitted over 70 different artworks!

Winners were determined based on a combination of public voting (over 2200 people with a Facebook account voted), five judges consisting of working artists, critics, and technologists, and by how well the team met the spirit of the competition—in this case, to create something beautiful using a physical brush and robotics and to share what they learned with others.

Details, team signup, and last year’s winners are at robotart.org.

Robohub Editors

Robohub Editors