One day, in the future, robots will do everything for us. It's a dream that refuses to go away. Over the coming years, robots are destined to play a significant part in our daily lives -- not as super smart, functional machines, nor as pseudo life forms, but as technological cohabitants. But how will we interact with them? What new interdependencies and relationships might emerge in relation to different levels of robot intelligence and capability? These objects are meant to spark a discussion about how we'd like our robots to relate to us: subservient, intimate, dependent, equal?

Sentinel: More and more of our data, even our most personal and secret information, will be stored on digital databases. How do we ensure that only we can access it? This robot is a sentinel, it uses retinal scanning technology to decide who accesses 

our data. In films iris scanning is always based on a quick glance. This robot demands that you stare into its eyes for a long time, it needs to be sure it is you. On another level, it asks what new forms of furniture might evolve in response to future technological developments.

Needy One: Although extremely smart it is trapped in an underdeveloped body and depends on its owner to move it about. Neediness is designed into very smart products to maintain a feeling of control. Originally, manufacturers would have made robots speak human languages, but over time they will evolve their own language. You can still hear human traces in its voice.

Commissioned by Jan Bolen z33
Video: Noam Toran
Robot Sound Design: Scanner