[EUDigitalDeal] ZORAN SRDIČ JANEŽIČ: ‘Code of Diversity’

𝗢𝗱𝗽𝗿𝘁𝗷𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘃𝗲 // 𝟭𝟲. 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗼𝗯 𝟮𝟬𝗵
𝗥𝗮𝘇𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘃𝗮 // 𝟭𝟲. 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗱𝗼 𝟵. 𝗷𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 @𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗷𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮, 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗷𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝟭 (𝟰. 𝗻𝗮𝗱.)

Projekt Code of Diversity predstavlja novo poglavje večletnega opusa Biobot, v katerem Zoran Srdić Janežič s skupino sodelavcev razvija kibernetski organizem, sestavljen iz mehatronskih in bioloških komponent. Prva od bioloških je skupek nevronskih celic (organoid) na elektrodi, ki prevaja signale med nevroni in krmilnikom robotskih sklepov v premikanje robota. Da bi raba bioloških možganov lahko razvila večje potenciale od računalniških programov za krmiljenje robotov, je Srdić Janežič oblikoval robota, ki predstavlja izziv za računalniške programe kot jih poznamo.

V projektu skupina uporablja računalniški program RoboGrammar, ki služi kot osnova za generiranje skeletov novih robotskih teles, hkrati pa raziskuje možnosti sprememb in modifikacij algoritma za še večjo morfološko raznolikost, ki bi ustrezala preprosti ‘možganski’ aktivnosti. Da bi ti proto ‘možgani’ lahko premikali robota, so avtorji uporabili algoritem Diversity Is All You Need (DIAYN), ki iz zaznavanja šibkih signalov med organoidom in robotom generira čim bolj raznolike oblike gibanja.

V iteraciji projekta Biobot: Code of Diversity je predlagana oblika robota, ki ne spominja več na noben organizem v naravi in je potemtakem uganka tudi za oba računalniška algoritma, v katera so – glede na to, da so ju napisali ljudje – vpisani tudi vsi predsodki človeškega razumevanja narave, po kateri se večina tehnoloških rešitev zgleduje. Modificiran program RoboGrammar generira atipična telesa za premikanje na simuliranih terenih ter na istem poligonu, kot ga vidimo v galeriji. DIAYN poleg tega prevaja tudi signale iz posameznih elektromotorjev, vgrajenih v dejanskega robota, jih interpretira in s povratno zanko organizira v premikanje po poligonu naprej. Tako se pred našimi očmi odvija razvojni proces organizma, ki je še vedno ujet v človeško kognicijo in komputacijo, s tem pa se preiskušajo mejne sposobnosti obeh algoritmov, ki so tudi meje njunih avtorjev – programerjev.

V galeriji je postavljen linearni poligon, na katerem računalniški vid spremlja položaj robota in dodatno usmerja algoritem DIAYN v njegovo premikanje. Proces učenja gibanja za premagovanje poligona bo potekal v času postavitve in po njej, da bi s tem izčrpali vse možnosti, ki jih algoritem lahko uporabi in s tem pripravi robota za gibanje, ki ga bo v naslednji generaciji prevzel biološki organoid, s čimer bo robotu omogočil pobeg iz racionalistične kletke človeške kognicije.

Produkcija: Zavod Kersnikova / Programiranje: Matic Potočnik, Benjamin Fele / Delo s celicami: Jaka Lazarin Lazar, Kristijan Tkalec / Elektronika: Erik Krkač
Delo je nastalo v sklopu evropskega projekta European Digital Deal, ki ga sofinancirajo EU – Ustvarjalna Evropa, Ministrstvo za kulturo RS in Mestna občina Ljubljana – Oddelek za kulturo.

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𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 // 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, 𝗮𝘁 𝟴 𝗽.𝗺.
𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 // 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 @𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆, 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗷𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝟭 (𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿)

The Code of Diversity project represents a new chapter in the multi-year Biobot opus, in which Zoran Srdić Janežič and his collaborators develop a cybernetic organism composed of mechatronic and biological components. The first of the biological components is a cluster of neuronal cells (an organoid) placed on an electrode that translates signals between neurons and the robot’s joint controller into the robot’s movement. To enable biological “brains” to develop greater potential than computer-based control programs, Srdić Janežič designed a robot that poses a challenge to the computational systems as we know them.

Within the project, the group uses the RoboGrammar software as a basis for generating skeletal structures of new robotic bodies, while also exploring ways to modify the algorithm to achieve even greater morphological diversity suited to simple brain-like activity. To allow these proto “brains” to move the robot, the authors used the Diversity Is All You Need (DIAYN) algorithm, which derives increasingly diverse movement patterns from weak signals exchanged between the organoid and the robot.

In this iteration of Biobot: Code of Diversity, the proposed robotic form no longer resembles any organism found in nature, and thus becomes a puzzle even for the two computational algorithms—both of which inevitably contain the human biases inscribed into them by their creators. The modified RoboGrammar algorithm generates atypical body structures for movement across simulated terrains as well as on the same training track presented in the gallery. DIAYN additionally interprets signals from individual motors embedded in the physical robot and, through feedback loops, organizes them into motion across the track. What unfolds before us is a developmental process of an organism still trapped within human cognition and computation, which simultaneously pushes both algorithms to the limits of their capabilities—the limits of their authors, the programmers.

In the gallery, a linear track is installed, on which computer vision monitors the robot’s position and further directs the DIAYN algorithm in its movement. The learning process required to traverse the track will continue throughout the exhibition and beyond, with the aim of exhausting all strategies available to the algorithm. This prepares the robot for movement that, in the next generation, will be taken over by a biological organoid—allowing the robot to escape the rationalist cage of human cognition.

Production: Zavod Kersnikova | Programming: Matic Potočnik, Benjamin Fele | Cell work:Jaka Jakin Lazar, Kristijan Tkalec | Electronics: Erik Krkač
The project was created as part of the European Digital Deal, co-funded by the EU – Creative Europe, the Slovenian Ministry of Culture, and the City of Ljubljana – Department of Culture.