Japanese telecommunications company NTT and the Ars Electronica Futurelab were offering an insight into their joint research and presenting hands-on results to the public: a new robotic swarm for art, entertainment and sport. The innovative swarm technology will feature in several performances at the Japanese National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Miraikan, in Tokyo between July 4 and 7, 2019.

The robotic swarm, composed of several groundbots, conveys the multifarious aspects of sport spectacles to viewers in a way that completely breaks through the boundaries of a conventional rectangular video format. Performing together with the robotic swarm, modern-day alchemist Akiko Nakayama and musician Ei Wada demonstrate creative possibilities of the application of the swarm technology. It’s sports viewing, re-imagined – designed to revolutionize the way we view and relate to big sport spectacles.

Credit: Ars Electronica Futurelab / Raphael Schaumburg-Lippe