Robotic fabrication in art

What differentiates today’s industrial robots from their industrial forerunners? Like computers, today’s robotic arms are suitable for a wide variety of tasks: they are “generic”, open-ended, adaptable and not restricted to any specific application or disciplinary focus. This versatility allows them to be readily customized and programmed to suit a wide range of precise intentions. It has also allowed us to reorient our perception of robots as mechanistic, pragmatic devices suited to standardized serial production, towards understanding them as creative tools for exploring, designing and realizing physical objects and the built environment.