Smash & grab: ‘Hand of Man’ robot wrecks cars at Moscow Geek Picnic (VIDEO)
The Hand of Man, made from scrap metal, was a star attraction at the Geek Picnic festival in the Russian capital, where it effortlessly pulverized a bunch of automobiles.
The creation by US artist Christian Ristow was presented to visitors at an open-air festival in Moscow on Saturday. Geek Picnic is all about the "cyborgization" of humanity. The 6,000-kilogram robohand is 30 times larger than a human hand. This video made by Ruptly video agency demonstrates its enormous force.
Visitors to the annual science and technology festival were able to enjoy controlling the machine with a special “glove” device. When you move your hand in the “glove,” it triggers a corresponding movement in the gigantic 8-meter arm through modern hydraulic technology.
"The idea is to give people this feeling of power, this feeling of strength, like a superhero, to let them do things they cannot do in regular, normal life," Ristow told Ruptly.
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A photo posted by Игорь (@sunigor) on Jun 14, 2015 at 2:24am PDT
The interactive sculpture, powered by diesel engines, is capable of picking up, crushing and tossing large objects, such as cars.
The robotic hand was initially constructed for the Robodock festival in the Netherlands, where it made its debut in 2008. After a few modifications, Hand of Man became a popular exhibit at many major festivals, such as Maker Faire.
Visitors to the annual Moscow festival were wowed by a large exhibition of robotics, including a drone and robot championship, as well as lectures and workshops, dedicated to space, artificial intelligence and hybrid art.
Geek Picnic also featured the first Russian cyborg conference, where scientists and people with bionic prostheses discussed the limits of human capabilities, and the ethics and philosophy behind the cyborgization of humanity.
