Celebrating the Human-Machine interaction

“In a properly automated and educated world, then, machines may prove to be the true humanizing influence. It may be that machines will do the work that makes life possible and that human beings will do all the other things that make life pleasant and worthwhile”. Sir Isaac Asimov was a hundred percent right when he quoted these precious lines. In fact, since the past decade, the evolution in almost all dimensions has been machine and technology centric. Be it medicine, finance or the obvious field of engineering, nothing has been possible without highly advanced machines. It is,however, to be noted that machines too need an expert mind to handle them. Not anyone can fly spaceship or sail a ship, unless they have the right knowledge. Indeed, amazing it is the symbiotic relation between man and machine.

To show this close connection between machines and their value to us, Cirque de Soleil and ETH Zurich have teamed up and created “Sparked”. A small video depicting how machines are no less than magic and what delight it gives to a man. Shot without any special effects, this video uses quadrocopters jazzed up with lights and lampshades which amuse a tech lover when his working arena goes out of power and he loses the focus of his work. Isn’t it one of the most popular applications of machines to entertain us when we need it the most? Apart from the aerial vehicles, a motion capture system, GPS and networking instruments have also been deployed in the video. The location for the video is the autonomous flight hub, Flying Machine Arena of ETH, Zurich.

While we usually see flying machines being used for military, spying and commercial purposes, this is one of the first few attempts to show how mesmerizingly they can be used in art. The brains behind the video, RaffaelloD’Andrea (l.) and Markus Waibelhave shown the drones in many international theatrical shows and this video has earned them a gem in the science-art dimension.