When I was looking through the Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition catalogue, ROSA BOSOM (1965) by Bruce Lacey caught my attention. ROSA BOSOM, a peculiar looking robot, build-out of a collection of electronics and a multiple of somewhat random objects. An artistic attempt to create a human-like robot.
ROSA BOSOM stands for Radio Operated Simulated Actress – Battery Or Standby Operated Mains. The robot could be controlled to be moved around, and the mannequin arms were able to move up and down. One of the more prominent features is the big lips on ROSA. They are attached to a small steel beam that could extend towards a close standing viewer.
After all these years we start to see more advanced versions of what Lacy may have imagined in 1965 what could happen in the future. That is, the creation of humanoid robots functioning in society. A theme and field of research that continues to be relevant today. Also, the work by Lacy feels to be following a tinkering approach, hacking parts together to make something function, proposing an interesting working methodology. Other ideas for new works could be an extended study in robot morphology or developing new types of human-robot interactions.
References
https://cyberneticserendipity.net/
http://cyberneticserendipity.com/cybernetic_serendipity.pdf
http://cyberneticzoo.com/robots/1965-rosa-bosom-bruce-lacey-british/