Researchers created a robot that is capable of forming its own opinion about art
Danielle Muoio,
Feb. 24, 2016, 3:36 PM
From behind, you may not even know the Berenson robot isn't human.
Reuters/Philippe Wojazer
With a top hat, delicately wrapped white shawl, and long black coat, it looks like any other art lover hopping between galleries in Chelsea.
But Berenson is, in fact, a robot — just with some unique human tastes.
Developed in 2011 by robotics engineer Philippe Gaussier and anthropologist Denis Vidal, the robot is capable of judging whether it likes a piece of art and shaping its artistic preferences.
That may not seem like a huge deal, but seeing a robot that can exhibit a certain amount of emotional and aesthetic preference isn't commonplace. There's Pepper, a Japanese robot capable of providing emotional support, but not many others that go beyond doing physical tasks.
Berenson works by recording art goers' reactions to pieces of art, and then using the data it collects to create its own artistic preferences.
The robot sees through a camera in its right eye where it records a black-and-white image of a piece of art, the International Business Times reported. In this case, that image was sent to a computer tucked behind a wall in the museum.
Berenson then zeroes in on aspects of the art that he likes, which is represented by green circles, and doesn't like, which is pointed out in red. If he likes something, the robot will even head in its direction and smile.
The robot made the rounds at an exhibit titled "Persona: Oddly Human" at the Quai Branly museum in Paris Tuesday to show off its abilities.
The exhibit, which is showing through mid-November, aims to explore how inanimate objects become animate and how people establish relationships with objects.
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