EMERGING DIGIROBOTI: an evening of eclectic robotics

Jesse Hemminger is an artist, teacher, web programmer, and rare coin photographer living in Minneapolis. His work is a mix of sculpture, interactice robotics, installation, and preformance, and his areas of interest include interpersonal connections, vulnerability, perception, and media. Jess teaches introductory web design classes at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul and spends his summers teaching robotics and art to children at the Science Museum of Minnesota. He is originally from Ohio, where he received his BFA in Art and Technology from Ohio State University in 2001. Jesse's work can be seen locally in "Untitled 4" at the Soo Visual Art Center and in the Art Shanty Projects this winter, where he will display a robot that carves 'designer fishing holes' into the ice.

Nikolaos P. Papanikolopoulos was born in Piraeus, Greece, in 1964. He received the Diploma degree in electrical and computer engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece, in 1987, the M.S.E.E. in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, PA, in 1988, and the Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, in 1992.  Currently, he is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Center for Distributed Robotics. His research interests include robotics, sensors for transportation applications, control, and computer vision. He has authored or coauthored more than 160 journal and conference papers in the above areas (forty one refereed journal papers).  He was finalist for the Anton Philips Award for Best Student Paper in the 1991 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation and recipient of the best Video Award in the 2000 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation. Furthermore, he was recipient of the Kritski fellowship in 1986 and 1987. He was a McKnight Land-Grant Professor at the University of Minnesota for the period 1995-1997 and has received the NSF Research Initiation and Early Career Development Awards. He was also awarded the Faculty Creativity Award from the University of Minnesota. One of his papers (co-authored by O. Masoud) was awarded the IEEE VTS 2001 Best Land Transportation Paper Award. Finally, he has received grants from DARPA, DHS, Sandia National Laboratories, NSF, Microsoft, INEEL, USDOT, MN/DOT, Honeywell, and 3M (more than $10M).

Bruce Shapiro is an artist and educator living in the Twin Cities. He received both his B.S. (Biochemistry) and M.D. from the University of Minnesota, and has spent his time on this earth in various incarnations: as a general practitioner of internal medicine to recently as an artist-in-residence and an instructor at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Shapiro's work has been shown at MCAD, E.I.O. Gallery in Cleveland, Silicon Gallery, Divergentes outdoor exhibition in Zumaia, Spain, Technorama in Switzerland, and The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children in Dublin, Ireland.

Morgan L’Argent is an employee at the Science Museum of Minnesota, doing technology in education research and development in the Museum's Learning Technologies Center. His work includes designing and prototyping physical exhibit components, working on computer interactives and websites, and consulting on the implementation of new technologies in museum programs.
Additionally, L’Argent has been involved with the Minneapolis Art Car Parade (artcarparade.com) for 5 years. Last year he and his robotic couch, "Couchmobile" (counchmobile.com) were featured on a 48-foot billboard advertising the parade at the corner of Lake and Lyndale. His work has been shown at Intermedia Arts, Everybody A/V, and the Walker Art Center.

Jon Vandervelde is the founder and CEO of Mechwars Robot 
Combat, currently the longest running professional robot-combat 
tournament in the United States. With Minimal restrictions 
(flamethrowers and limited explosives areallowed), Mechwars events 
push the boundaries of both creativity andaudience safety. Appearing
at various arenas and vacant lots in and around the twin-cities, 
Mechwars has also put on "entertainment events" at the
Minnesota State Fair, Mystic Lake Casino, and has an intermittent
television program on KSTC television. Although containing the 
action at full-scale competitions is a constant technical challenge for
Mechwars, so far no-one struck by shrapnel has chosen to pursue 
legal action.  Thus, the game continues. Vandervelde would like to 
speak at the Emerging Digeratii seminar about the saturation of popular culture with the 
concept/imagery of fighting robots, and the possible implications for socio-techno
developments in the near future.

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