Robotic Cleaners Create Light Art

Transforming the iRobot Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner into a tool for artwork – attaching LEDs to the device and capturing long exposure photographs of its journey – has become an emerging global craze with its own Flickr group fuelled by a growing interest in subverting everyday technology.

Groups such as the IBR Algorithm Group, situated at the Braunschweig University of Technology, are pushing the boundaries of the robot’s coding as well as those of illustration and photography.

Captured in dark conditions, the images show saturated, vibrant hues created by colourful light sources. Patterns are built up according to the robot’s course of travel, creating seemingly random webs of colour with a high-tech atmosphere.

iRobot
Roomba Art (Flickr)