The art of automation

In this case it is the BeachBot, an autonomous robot that creates large scale sand art, that I have my doubts about. Don't get me wrong, in many ways this is a very positive story. Collaboratively developed by Disney Research Zurich and a student team at ETH Zürich, which gives students the opportunity to work in a project-based environment instead of visiting regular courses, the BeachBot will no doubt capture the imaginations of many youngsters, maybe even inspiring them to pursue a career in engineering.

And whichever way you look at it, BeachBot is a pretty cool device. Measuring just 60cm long, it carves pictures into sand with a rake consisting of seven individual movable elements actuated by servo motors. Lines can vary in width from 5 to 40cm (the width of the BeachBot), and the unit has, of course, been constructed to withstand the arduous conditions of the beach.

So why do I have mixed feeling about this project? Well, I can't help but think that this is cheating. We can already see truly amazing beach art that is created by people. Indeed, Simon Beck is known for his giant images that he puts together using just a rake and compass, and there are plenty of other talented individuals that give us the pleasure of pictures in the sand without the use of robots.