This 4-day intensive workshop teaches the fundamentals of creative robotics using drawing machines as an accessible, hands-on platform. Through a series of structured experiments, participants will explore the creative possibilities that emerge when humans and machines collaborate. 

By the end, participants will understand:

• How drawing machines read, interpret, and execute data as physical marks
• Creative workflows to design and iterate with pen plotters
• Techniques for real-time interactive control of drawing machines
• Strategies to repurpose plotters as programmable robots
• Best practices for collaborating with machines in a creative context
  
  

REGISTER:
https://forms.gle/Ljx5UutSyQJegCKv7

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SCHEDULE:

DAY 1: DRAWING WITH MACHINES (Thursday 9:30 AM–12:30 PM)

• Anatomy of a drawing machine: motors, controllers, coordinate systems
• How machines read & interpret data into motion
• Creative workflows for designing drawings for machines
• Drawing experiments with different mark-making tools & media

DAY 2: INTERACTIVE CONTROL (Friday 9:30 AM–12:30 PM)

• Real-time control techniques for drawing machines
• Adding artistic risk: embracing unpredictability in human-robot collaboration
• Sensor integration for interactive mark-making
• Continued experimentation with drawing techniques & tools

DAY 3: BEYOND DRAWING (Saturday 9:30 AM–12:30 PM)

• Rethinking pen plotters as robots: swapping tools, changing interactions
• Repurposing machines for non-drawing applications (e.g., cutting, scoring, dragging, poking, light tools)
• Integrating alternative end-effectors & interaction modes
• Open-ended experimentation combining skills from Days 1 & 2

DAY 4: EXHIBITION & DOCUMENTATION (TBD)

• Refinement of final experiments
• Temporary installation & setup
• Structured exhibition & group documentation