The magazine MAQ September 2018 MAQ Magazine November 2018 | Page 164

"Although I designed the system, I am not entirely in control of the final artwork," he says, viewing the result as a collaboration. "When I look at the robot working, and it's doing things I didn't program it to do, and I'm watching it working – it's quite

fascinating. It's pretty much like looking at a human artist, you don't know what they're going to do next."

Todonai submitted two entries to the 2018 International Robotic Art Competition, founded in 2016 by US mechanical engineer Andrew Conru, which challenged entrants to create "visually beautiful" paintings with robotics. He was placed eighth in July for Apples and a bust of Homer, winning $US2000. The winner, Pindar van Arman, collected $US40,000 for his entries, which included a reproduction of Cezanne's Houses at L'Estaque.

Andrew Conru Founder, RobotArt