I’m all for tossing up some highly complex, geometrically intense, 3-dimensional visuals on flat surfaces to wow the senses and, I tell you what, Bot & Dolly do not disappoint. Bot & Dolly is a design and engineering studio that specializes in automation, robotics, and filmmaking, but to show off what their rigs and equipment are capable of, it doesn’t hurt to create a little sumin’ sumin’ to squelch any doubters. They do that extremely well with their latest feature, Box which takes that drab old stage space and converts it into a aural eye feast for all high tech, projection mapping junkies. They go one step further though, projecting the visuals onto objects… being moved… by robots.
Robot arms, Center stage
Using two Bot & Dolly IRIS robot arms (you’ve probably seen this Google Nexus S commercial featuring a group of them), they composed five masterful scenes that take you through Transformation, Levitation, Intersection, Teleportation and Escape. The mix of human interaction, the smooth, synchronized motion of the robots and the grayscale motion graphics turn a few 2-dimensional areas into a performance we graciously allow to consume five minutes (times however many times you watch it) of our lives.
“Box” explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera. Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.”
