Hello, Robot.

Photo: Michael Lio; Key visual: Christoph Niemann, Graphic design: Alexandra Noth

Whether in the form of delivery drones, smart sensors or Industry 4.0, in recent years robotics has found its way into our everyday lives, changing them in fundamental ways. Design has a central role to play in this process, for it is designers who shape the interfaces between humans and machines. The major exhibition “Hello, Robot.” examines the current boom in robotics in detail for the first time. It comprises more than 200 exhibits from the fields of design and art, including robots used in the home, in nursing care, and in industry, as well as computer games, media installations and examples of films and literature in which robots feature.

Design between Human and Machine

Photo: Michael Lio; © Stephan Bogner, Philipp Schmitt, Jonas Voigt: “Raising Robotic Natives”, 2016

The exhibition shows the wide variety of forms that robotics takes today. At the same time, it broadens our awareness of the associated ethical, social and political issues.

“Hello, Robot.” considers robots in four sections: “Science and Fiction”, “Programmed to Work”, “Friend and Helper” and “Two into One”. The exhibition traces the fascination that artificial human beings have long exerted on us, and explores how popular culture has shaped our perception of robots. It is in the world of work that robots have achieved their real breakthrough. Here, the exhibits range from classic industrial robots to an installation which explores the dividing line between work that can be automated and human creativity. The new technology’s impact on our everyday lives is also steadily growing, in the form of digital companions and even cybersex, while smart cities and smart sensors are increasingly blurring the boundaries between the human and the robotic.

The exhibition is being shown in Switzerland for the first time. It is a collaboration between the Vitra Design Museum, the MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art, Vienna, and the Design museum Gent.