Nanika means ‘Something’ in Japanese, is an autonomous and independent robot. The idea came from Robert Breer’s moving sculptures (called ‘floats’), which are objects that move very slowly around a room. As it happens, one of these pieces was to have been produced in ‘multiples’ by the gallery Multiples, Inc (in 1970), but the project never saw the light of day. It is also a tribute to one of the pioneers of cybernetics, Grey Walter. In 1950, Grey Walter designed and built electronic turtles that moved and changed direction according to light, among other things.

Nanika is equipped with distance sensors that enable it to understand part of its environment and detect the presence of humans. It moves at random, depending on its moods and what it perceives of its surroundings.

Nanika represents a dialogue between craftsmanship and the contemporary world. With its ceramic case, handmade from Saint-Amand stoneware, it embodies the craftsman’s gesture where robotics and modern technology meet.

Alexandre Atamian is currently working on the sound design for the nanikas. Referring to Robert Morris’s work ‘A box with a sound of its own making’, Alexandre will use recordings of the making of the ceramic part of the nanikas as the basic sound material.

Robot designed and created by Laetitia Perrin in chamotte stoneware.
Sound design by Alexandre Atamian.
Technical support by Olivier Mével, multiplié. Published by multiplié.fr

Technical specifications

Ø: 16 cm H: 16 cm. Ø: 6,29 in H: 6,29 in.
Saint-Amand chamotte stoneware.
Two wheels and a flying wheel.
Distance sensor.
Loudspeaker.
Behaviour and mood algorithms using a large language model.
Battery-powered.

For more information about Nanika, please visit multiplié.fr or contact us.