Recent years have been marked by very many dynamic technical and scientific developments, all of them with a high potential to change our world, the way we think, the way we work, the way we do business.

Digitalization is often used as the overall term for these trends, which go as far as robotics and autonomous mobility, Internet of Things and smart environments or AI, machine learning and digital assistants. The new Ars Electronica program Future in a Nutshell is a special and unique opportunity to get an introduction and overview of these game-changing new technologies—understandable to everybody yet presented by selected experts from these fields.

MO Sept. 11, 2017

Credits

An event by the Austrian Tourism Days in cooperation with Österreich Werbung, WKO und BMWFW.

As time fleets past, humans are endlessly escaping from prison and simultaneously being discarnate. As a “discarnate man” we have left the self behind. According to Marshall McLuhan, a discarnate man is a human being who still processes his body in the physical world, but whose self or identity could be present in other phantom electronic place. We unconsciously discard the self in an invisible and unceasing phase of growing up.

We are destined to be born in a certain place with a certain skin color and to speak a certain language. Somehow we begin to abandon our own roots and turn to implant in other mainstream cultures. Childhood talk with one’s mother is similar to talking to oneself. The native language with a pure mind is nowadays no longer precious. Will you still please listen to me while I share a story of childhood in my own language?

L’Enfant invites the audience to step into a concealed world constructed by artists. The performance involves techniques using a drone with a camera to detect and capture the scene and the audience reaction. The recorded image will be projected on the screen in an interactive approach through programming design.

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Project mentor: Mikael Fock
Directors (digital artists): I-Chun Chen, He-Lin Luo
Sound designer: Jin-Yao Lin
Producer: Ruei Yen

Technical director: Chia-Sheng Chu
Stage Manager: Hong-Ting Xie
Lighting designer: Shawn Lee
Sound engineer: TP Chen

Advised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China
Presented by Quanta Art Foundation, QA Ring and Ars Electronica
Associated with Liang Gallery

Sponsored by Quanta Computer

g.tec medical engineering GmbH (AT)

The BR41N.IO Hackathon brings together engineers, programmers, physicians, designers, artists and fashionistas to collaborate intensively as an interdisciplinary team. They plan and produce their own fully functional EEG-based brain-computer interface headpiece to control a drone, a Sphero or e-puck robot or an orthosis with motor imagery.

FRI Sept. 8, 2017

SAT Sept. 9, 2017

Whenever they think of a right-arm movement, their device performs a defined action. The programmers create an interface which allows them to control robots and other devices with their thoughts alone. The artists among the hackers make artistic paintings or post and tweet a status update. And hackers who are enthusiasts in tailoring or 3D printing give their BCI headpiece an artistic and unique design. And finally, kids create their very own ideas of an interactive head accessory inspired by animals, mythical creatures or their fantasy.

Inspired by the unique Agent Unicorn headpiece from fashion-technology artist Anouk Wipprecht, the BR41N.IO Brain-Computer Interface Designers Hackathon challenges young geeks to design and build a unique, playful and wearable brain-computer interface (BCI) headpiece. The BCI measures brain activity and enable users to control a robot or smart device, to communicate or paint using just their thoughts.

Twenty years ago, brain-computer interfaces could only move computer cursors. Today, machine learning is one component of BCIs that will be used in many different fields of neuroscience, such as motor rehabilitation of stroke patients, assessment of and communication with coma patients, control of devices for disabled people, cognitive training or neuromarketing. BR41N.IO shows these current and future developments and the unlimited possibilities of brain-computer interfaces in creative or scientific fields, and how artificial intelligence, life science, art and technology become a unity to evolve innovative and exceptional BCI headpieces.

Credits

BR41N.IO is organized by g.tec medical engineering GmbH | Schiedlberg | Austria

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