1.9.2010

What if a robot had a personal life, a hobby, or a routine that people can’t understand?

Paper Cutter Ver. 2 is an in-context version of “Paper Cutter,” an experiment I did as part of the “Personal Life of an Electronic Object” series.

The original experiment, “Paper Cutter,” was supposed to illustrate just the hobby part of a familiar electronic object. What could they do when we’re not around? In the case of this vacuum cleaner, it is obsessively cutting paper. To the best of its ability.

The project adresses a couple of key points.

- The concept of a “personified” and “autonomous” electronic object: This machine looks like it is “alive” or “trying to act like it is alive”. The idea of “consciousness,” seen through its willful act of cutting, and “awareness,” felt through it recognizing the presence and absence of a person enables us to perceive the object as “alive.” It may not have actual consciousness but it does in the mind of the viewer as much as a pair of shoes might seem like a “couple that is born to be together.”

- The concept of “work” vs “play”: When a person is “working,” he is being productive, or doing a job for a purposeful outcome; on the other hand, when he is “playing,” he is generally doing an activity that is not necessarily productive, but more meaningful in a personal way. This vacuum cleaner, too, has a productive “working” routine which is done when a person uses it for cleaning. Once the owner is done with the vacuum cleaner, it will have a significant amount of “down-time,” which in terms of the lives of people, would be considered as “time to rest” or “play”.

- The concept of “imperfection” of a seemingly alive being: The video illustrates a vacuum cleaner that is cutting paper to the best of its ability; it has a couple of “flaws.” It is not “smart” enough to fix it when the paper goes off track. It can not fix itself when the paper rips or the blade falls out. It can not go out and buy more paper to fulfill its needs. It has to be treated like a pet of a person. It has to be fixed, cleaned, and taken care of by its owner. This is similar to having to charge a cellphone, give water to plants, and wash a pet. Does this vacuum cleaner seem more “humane” for its flaws and obsessive personality?