Power Chess
Project Manager &
Robotic Arm Behaviour Designer
Power Chess
Concept
Maurice Benayoun and his collaborators have created a chess game featuring two robotic arms as competitors.
He views games as metaphors for societal issues, which is the inspiration behind the piece titled "Power Chess." The performance highlights power dynamics and human conflicts, allowing spectators to experience the emotions of the game. The robots move expressively, mimicking living beings, creating a sense of ambiguity. Through immersive sound and movement, the audience becomes part of the action, enhancing the intensity of the installation.
Sponsored by Focal Naim
Keywords: Robotic arm, behaviour design, chess playing
ON-SITE VIDEO
VID_20220906_153439.mp4IMG_0780.MOVProject Aim
How to turn robotic arms like a human chess player?
Project Value
USD 40K+
Robotic Arms x 2 + FOCAL NAIM KANTA N2 x 2 + FOCAL NAIM NOVA
TEAM SIZE
Core Development Team: 3
Other team: 5
Software and Hardware
Challenges and Problem-solving
Challenges:
A) No experience with robotic arms
B) Tight schedule: 3 months
C) A teammate with special care needs
Problem-solving:
A)Identifying deliverables
Learn IK and xARM API -> Explore possibilities and limitation
Technical test -> Functional test -> Acceptance Test -> Optimisation->Open parameters for potential changes
B)Defining project scope and workload
Arrange workload according to teammates' skills.
Prioritising tasks
Remove unrealistic goals, focus on what can be done.
C)Managing risks
Work over the weekends and remotely
Allocate less-pressure workload to teammate with special care.
Animation reference:
Juxo Jr. (The Pixar lamp)
Video games character movement
Chess player video footage
Robotic arm animation examples (Have a guess !)
Published Paper:
How audiences interoperate expression animations
Based on the implemented robotic arm movements, we have published a paper on ARTECH 2021.
Project Exhibition STAGES
Exhibition 4: INTERWOVEN SCAPE
France OPLINEPRIZE First Exhibition, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen,
7 November 2023 - 14 January 2024
IMG_0780.MOV
Exhibition 3: POWER CHESS / NEXT WORLD FORUM
Four Seasons, Next World Forum, Riyadh, 7-8 September 2022
Installation setup
Exhibition 2: POWER CHESS / Ars Electronica 2021 Hong Kong Garden
Osage Gallery, Ars Electronica Hong Kong Garden, Hong Kong, 8-12 September 2021
Exhibition 1: POWER CHESS / FOCAL-NAIM 2021
Promotion videos produced by FOCAL
Credit List
Maurice Benayoun
Project Manager, Robotic Arm Behaviour Designer:
Tony Zhang Tian Yi
Technical Director:
Sam Chan
Sound Designer:
VVzela Kook
Supported by:
Charlie Yip
Robotic Arm Supervisor
Ray LC
Commissioned by Focal-Naim