This AI-Powered Autonomous Robot Writes Poems in the Sand

As designer Yuxi Liu explains, “With the development of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, increasingly we encounter more and more autonomous and intelligent machines that are empowered to learn, reason, and make decisions.” If machines are truly becoming intelligent, then perhaps we could consider “uses” for them beyond simply serving mankind.

As a sort of illustration of what machines might do when not serving humans, Liu has come up with “Poet on the Shore,” an AI-powered robot that is able to roam the beach, listening to the sounds, and observing wind patterns. It then translates these perceptions into English words that it prints in the sand as it moves.

Though build details are a bit slim, from the small sliver of “making process” photos, the robot is based on a solid-looking tank chassis with an anemometer on top, several sensors, and at least two servos onboard, presumably to help it write.

You can see more of Poet on the Shore on Liu’s page here.