SpaceX Artist-in-Residence Trains Robot Dogs to Paint; Sells Robodog Paintings for $40,000 at Auction

A Polish artist extends her artistry by training robot dogs to paint. Agnieszka Pilat spent months teaching robotic dogs to create their artwork.

Robotdog Painting

Pilat, dubbed "robot whisperer," used her art skills to train the new generation of artists -- robot dogs. She taught three four-legged machines to hold a paintbrush using their mouths and move them across a large canvas to form abstract shapes.

"It took a bit of convincing, finding the right connections, and presenting a vision that aligned with a space exploration mission," she told Business Insider.

Pilat, a Polish artist, debuted a new show called "Heterobota," which includes 36 self-painted pieces that mimic works of art by humans. The robots produced artworks influenced by Jean-Michel Basquiat's angular paintings and Cy Twombly's calligraphy-driven paintings.

Some of these pieces sold for as much as $40,000 at a charity auction for Ukrainian pets and another for $31,500 at Sotheby's in 2021.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, Australia, hosted three spots, Basia, Omuzana' Vanya,' and Bunny, for the start of their four-month residency last month. The display is open until April 7.

The robot dogs in NGV's exhibition area are guided by cubes featuring QR codes that indicate their location in the room as they paint. Additionally, the three robodogs have a dedicated area inside the museum where they may "sleep" and recover.

As an artist-in-residence at SpaceX, Pilat collaborates with the industrial design team to produce paintings highlighting the company's goal of advancing space exploration. Even though SpaceX doesn't have a formal program for artists-in-residence, Pilat wanted to collaborate with the firm to "give technology a voice."

Robot Dogs For Combats, Secure Borders

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reserves organization Brothers in Arms; the army recently acquired three robot dogs to obtain information that assists soldiers in combat to operate optimally in the field and save lives.

Brothers in Arms declined to comment further, but it's safe to assume that the organization, which is aware of the conditions under which Gaza is being fought, arranged for their donation to be processed in response to demands made by the IDF authorities and soldiers on the ground for the purchase of Ghost Robotics' three Vision 60 robot dogs. The US Army uses robot dogs, which American companies likewise make. Every dog costs $130,000.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) collaborated with AI tech firms Pangiam and Ghost Robotics to strengthen border security. These teams will work together to use robot dogs and AI inspectors to find anomalous activity. Other nations may soon adopt similar policies to shield their residents from foreign threats.

The trade and travel technology company will provide Pangiam Bridge, a cutting-edge technology, to US Customs and Border Protection. Customs officers can automate parts of the baggage, vehicle, and container inspection process with AI technology.

Robot-powered dogs might search for suspicious individuals along the border and warn border authorities. The CBP also placed license plate readers and facial recognition software at checkpoints.

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