They’re robots made of cardboard that only know how to walk in a straight line and their objective is to reach a certain point in the city. Will people on the streets be willing to help?
Lend him a hand if you run into him. He’ll need it.
Tweenbots are robots that walk around New York all by themselves. They’re made of cardboard and always have a smile on their faces. They can only walk in a straight line and a they have a flag tagged on that gives instructions and explains their objective: to reach some point in the city with the help of passersby.
This robot, for instance, had to make it from the northern corner of Washington Square Park to its southern-most edge. Do you think he made it? The result was unusual and amazing: the robot reached its destination just with the help of people it found along the way who read the instructions and did not hesitate to lend a hand. It took the robot 42 minutes and 29 people helped him reach his goal.
The experiment’s creator, Kacie Kinzer, a student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts followed close behind with a camera hidden in her purse. Kinzer had set out to study the behavior and reactions of people who came across her robots.
She has carried out several missions in the space of a few months, and they have all been successful. Her robots have arrived at their destinations safe and sound and have never been harmed or attacked. In fact, whenever one of them has gotten stuck in a crack on the pavement or has crashed into a fence, someone has always come to the rescue.
Following a long list of successful missions, Kinzer has managed to write a story about the behavior, good will, and generous support of people living in a vast and saturated city filled with traffic and under the threat of terrorism.
In the next few months, new Tweenbots will be seen on the streets. In addition to possibly needing your help to get somewhere, these new models may also ask you to call their families because they’ve gotten lost. They look so harmless and friendly, that you’re sure to want to help out if you bump into one!
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Lend him a hand if you run into him. He’ll need it.
