a·nal·o·gy n. A systematic comparison between structures that uses properties of and relations between objects of a source structure to infer properties of and relations between objects of a target structure.

As Vangobot continues to explore the boundary worlds of human vision, we’ve added texture to his rendering capabilities. The brush textures shown here represent an on-going effort to better visualize Vangobot’s performance as an artist. Vangobot’s brush stroke textures come directly from his previous physical works. In essence, the robot is expanding his understanding of brush and paint relationships by applying successful techniques to subsequent efforts. He is able to build image analogies to better understand what his masters desire, e.g. tight vs. loose brush handling in specific picture building events.

The time lapse video shows Vangobot painting in his mind’s eye. These are the brush motions that are carried out by his robotics and the colors on the screen represent the paints that he will mix to build this painting. The timelapse painting video represents Vangobot’s first successful visualization of fill and stroke with realistic brush texture artifacts.

As Vangobot decides where to move his brush, the coordinates of his motions are calculated and expressed as an angle between 0 and 360 degrees rounded to the nearest tenth. When the wrist angle is calculated he knows where the brush is going and subsequently applies a compositional texture to the stroke representing the direction the brush is moving.

In the resulting video time lapse of the painting you can see where the brush is moving and visualize the brush mechanics and artifacts on the screen. This process enables Vangobot’s human artist counterparts to evaluate his decisions and work process in an easy to understand visual form and as a result allows for better collaboration between man and machine.