the Abovemarine
2014
Over a period of a few weeks I trained my Siamese fighting fish (Betta Splendens) José to jump out the water and get food off my finger. He also learnt to follow my hand as I moved it around the outside of his tank. The Abovemarine is a vehicle that enables José to roam on the land. This small freedom allows him to Interact with other species including humans and small animals. José is able to navigate around a room, as he swims backwards (stopping the Abovemarine) before hitting obstacles.
There is a popular myth about fish, that they have a 3 second memory. I wonder whether the stories that we tell about other species say more about ourselves that they do about the other. Animal behavioural researchers for example design experiments to measure intelligence in other species. I imagine these rather as experiments of our own intelligence. Are we intelligent enough to design an experiment that proves the intelligence of the other to ourselves?
Process work and observations here.
Featured on: Outrageous Acts of Science, Discovery Channel (Season 4 Episode 6, 2015) Exhibited in: Robotronica, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (curated by Jonathan Parsons), Arduino Day, Victoria University of Wellington (2015)
Thanks: Ali Momeni | Golan Levin | Wayne Chung | LoM
Music: Caravans by Puccio Roelens
2014
Over a period of a few weeks I trained my Siamese fighting fish (Betta Splendens) José to jump out the water and get food off my finger. He also learnt to follow my hand as I moved it around the outside of his tank. The Abovemarine is a vehicle that enables José to roam on the land. This small freedom allows him to Interact with other species including humans and small animals. José is able to navigate around a room, as he swims backwards (stopping the Abovemarine) before hitting obstacles.
There is a popular myth about fish, that they have a 3 second memory. I wonder whether the stories that we tell about other species say more about ourselves that they do about the other. Animal behavioural researchers for example design experiments to measure intelligence in other species. I imagine these rather as experiments of our own intelligence. Are we intelligent enough to design an experiment that proves the intelligence of the other to ourselves?
Process work and observations here.
Featured on: Outrageous Acts of Science, Discovery Channel (Season 4 Episode 6, 2015) Exhibited in: Robotronica, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (curated by Jonathan Parsons), Arduino Day, Victoria University of Wellington (2015)
Thanks: Ali Momeni | Golan Levin | Wayne Chung | LoM
Music: Caravans by Puccio Roelens
High resolution images here.
