Part of the Melbourne International Arts FestivalOribotics [network] is a unique art and technology installation in the Atrium at Federation Square, drawing on cutting edge research in biology, computing, and scientific origami. Discover living biomimetic works attached to the glass panes of the Atrium’s Fracture Galleries.

Seek out Oribotics [network] and you will find robots rooted to the architecture, surviving on solar power, with their faceted folded mechanical blossoms attracting data, moving in response to the physical audience and stimuli from online users at www.oribotics.net. In Oribotics [network] each robot is individually connected to the vastness of the internet, and to local mobile phone, Bluetooth and wifi networks, enabling interaction via mobile devices and the web.

Bring your laptop, PDA, or mobile phone, start up your bluetooth and wifi connections and ‘network’ with the Oribots. Or point your browser to www.oribotics.net and explore the virtual world of the oribots digestion. Oribotics [network] continues multimedia artist Matthew Gardiner’s research into the hybrid art / science field that fuses the ancient art of origami with robotic technology. Witness the results of four years development of intricately folded designs integrated with robotic mechanisms.

This is the most complex generation of oribots to date. With support from Arts Victoria Innovation fund, we are powering ahead into new realms.

At the moment we are working with compact computers (about the size of a greeting card), Micro Linear Actuators, designing flowers from water bombs, and using some of the strongest sticky tape in the world… If all that sounds a little odd, then you’d better read the blog. - Matthew Gardiner

Oribotics.net is designed and coded by Matthew Gardiner & My Trinh Gardiner at http://www.airstrip.com.au. Blog.