The "Roomba lofibeats" project is an ongoing project housed at the Mòniques residence in Santa Mònica Art Center. A mediation proposition aiming to engage digital audiences.
A Roomba cleaning robot equipped with an infrared camera navigates the museum environment, even while the art center is closed to the public. Streaming its explorations live to Twitch,the Roomba unveils a fresh avenue for user engagement as an audience across the globe can join the live feed.
Drawing inspiration from popular Youtube videos like lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to, the project aims to deliver slow-paced content, creating an atmosphere of calm, much like an accompanying soundtrack to one's activities.
The Romba robot is powered by a curiosity-driven artificial intelligence that is continually on the hunt for stimulating images: unnoticed corners within the art center, fresh perspectives and unique frames. Its algorithm can identify attention peaks and when these peaks are reached, the Roomba captures a photograph which is then shared across various social media platforms.
This project came to fruition during Mòniques' residency at Santa Mònica Art Center in Barcelona and is a result of a collaborative effort with Marc Villanueva Mir.
The code can be downloaded from https://github.com/carlitoselmago/roomba-lofibeats
