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Robot Drawn Caricatures

Posted by samzenpus on from the vincent-van-gort dept.

ptresset writes "From Singularity Hub: 'Artists and programmers in the UK have decided to improve upon the male and female symbols outside many toilet facilities. They’ve developed a set of robotic arms that take pictures of people entering into a bathroom and then use that image to create a unique drawing to place outside the door. It then wipes away this art to make room for the next person’s caricature.'"

5 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. But is it sanitary? by mswhippingboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wonder if it washes its hands after wiping?

    --
    Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of an oncoming train.
  2. explanation please by snookerhog · · Score: 2, Interesting
    does it draw the cock and balls on every person going into the mens' room?

    watch the vid if you don't believe me

    1. Re:explanation please by natehoy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Apparently.

      Of course, the images it drew didn't even appear to be caricatures, only a random-looking image of the vague outline of a person, with circles for representing the boobs for women (and, if I ever met a women with boobs up on her shoulders, I'd probably run for my life) and a crudely drawn schlong and meatballs for men. It's like they had a 3-year-old spend 5 minutes looking at a copy of Playboy and Playgirl and having the child draw what they thought they saw.

      Plus, if I gotta take a piss, no way I'm standing still long enough for that glacially-slow robotic arm to draw anything.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    2. Re:explanation please by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 4, Funny

      You mean like this? ;-)

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j19Aoe9EUVY

  3. Not caricatures, not creative. by FiloEleven · · Score: 3, Informative

    A caricature is easily identifiable as a deliberate distortion of its subject's features. These images are vague sketches of image-captured outlines, with some randomness thrown in.

    Even rudimentary drawing robots like these are examples of artificial creativity.

    Setting aside how ridiculous "artificial creativity" is, there is nothing to back up the article's assertion of creativity. The idea is novel, but the output is algorithmic with a bit of randomness thrown in.

    --
    Your brain is not a computer.