Reading list

I think we need to buy some books on our topic of our research. On links, there are some previews, and if this is interesting, please let me know to buy them.

Basics:
Microbial Electrochemical and Fuell Cells

Artistic references

The preceding projects from the whole opus Corpus Indeterminata are connected to many formal sculptural questions about the usage of different materials and technologies (making figurative sculpture from animal fat by constructing the cooling system to preserve the rigid form). Also questions about visual / tactual perceiving through different senses; figure - body relationship; the value of fragment; and placing work of art in space (statuette with pedestal, inter-media installation etc.). Whilst also the form can be connected with different types, styles and individual pieces of art through history (for example like Duchamp, Beuys, Gober, Gormely, Chapman brothers, Quinn, McCarthy, Barney etc.) - the most important reference is related to Joseph Beuys and his animation of dead hare in his performance How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare (Wie man dem toten Hasen die Bilder erklärt) on 26 November 1965 at the Gallery Schmela in Düsseldorf.

 

The thing that always strikes me in this performance is dealing with a question of living and non-living, and a special kind of puppet performance - where Beuys as an artist is marionettist and the hare is - even now at this moment while I'm thinking on it - living in the imaginary of this performance (like Beuys also explain in upper video).

With the concept of a new project like Horse power some of those old references or memories are underlying the work and other old ones reappear. The project Horse power is not to be confused with some previous inventions in art or some, presented as a historical moment that need an artistic image to justify it. References are just my starting point of orientation in the field of art and technologies. They are not really important as they are not direct references neither is the project Horse Power their illustration. Those images are reflecting a feeling that I had at the beginning of the project. They will probably fade away, but one reference in relationship between living - non-living and the animation is obvious: Luigi Galvani's experiment with manipulating removed frog legs with electricity:

The beginning of Galvani's experiments with bioelectricity has a popular legend which says that Galvani was slowly skinning a frog at a table where he had been conducting experiments with static electricity by rubbing frog skin. Galvani's assistant touched an exposed sciatic nerve of the frog with a metal scalpel that had picked up a charge. At that moment, they saw sparks and the dead frog's leg kicked as if in life. The observation made Galvani the first investigator to appreciate the relationship between electricity and animation — or life (citation from Wikipedia).

And another image that resembles - not by theme, but by atmosphere - the mood of it: an oil-on-canvas painting An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768) by Joseph Wright of Derby that I saw last year in Tate Britain, powerful and emotional scene with chiaroscuro effect created with central light source, which is somehow haunting me.

A picture that in the field of cultural studies is important from the perspective of gender - as men are vividly interested in a scientific experiment where lack of air is putting parrot to unconsciousness - women are afraid of it or don't want to look: that's why the painting is called masculine. But from Wright's view - he needed a tension, a drama in the small centralized part of the picture, which he created with the feeling of uncanny (das Unheimliche). He did it some two years after the publishing of Lessing's Laocoon:

"Equally beyond question is it that hurtful ugliness excites terror in a picture as well as in nature, and  that the ridiculous and the terrible, in themselves mixed sensations, acquire through imitation an added degree of fascination."

With a progress of the art project Horse power many questions will arrise. One would probably be the uglyness as decomposition affects: visual as well as smelling. I just wish that idea of living / non-living remains clear to justify the appeal and show possible alternatives in thinking of non-anthropocentric owning of the planet and life on it.

Digestion energy

There are some contemporary artworks that might have some similar form and similar research, not similar concept or goals, though:

reblogged from http://www.szely.org/projects/somevelvetmorning/index.html

One is Thomas Feuerstein (I think it is already in the first post, but I like this work more. He was also exhibiting at Gallery Kapelica and it was just stunning):
http://thomasfeuerstein.net/50_WORKS/75_LABORATORY/74_Some_Velvet_Morning

reblogged from: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/05/poo-machine-by-wim-delvoye.html

and Wim Delvoye famous Cloaca
http://www.artandsciencejournal.com/post/24350961263/wim-delvoye-and-cloaca-i-promised-more-delvoye
https://vimeo.com/45127139



So what might go on is probiotic bacteria: lactobacillus reuteri? I don't know if I mixed something but there is one lab working with this bacteria: The Logan lab is working to address both energy and water need through the development of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for electricity production, and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) for biofuel (hydrogen and methane gas) production.

reblogged from: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/enve/logan/

Some questions for Horse power bioreactor

Can we make the produce of the reactors burn?

In this experimental project, I'm interested to see all possibilities of energy output from decomposing animal tissue. A lot of things I really don't know, but I'm positive that one energy output is methane gas (CH4). The easiest solution is if we store it in a gas bag and from there we use it as a fuel. A bit harder is to compress it or ever liquefied it. Compressing is probably also good DIY lesson while liquefying it involves purifying of gas, compressing at high pressures and low temperatures. I'm always fascinated with cryogenic engineering, but for this project, I think it's a lot-lot of work.

Some short reading list that can be expanded

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_natural_gas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_natural_gas

Cars on gas bags were popular during I. and II. World war 

https://www.google.si/search?q=gas+bag+system+car&rlz=1C1GIWA_enSI664SI664&biw=1920&bih=955&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipj_7wu-jKAhWDfhoKHWdGDRAQsAQIJA

reblogged from inovationsoup

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/11/gas-bag-vehicles.html in further links there's a Finish guy making a car on wood gas.

But gas bags are also widely used in domestic environment and transported in homemade plastic bags - like in this news from Bingzhou, northern China's Shandong Province.

reblogged from The Telegraph

For bio gas digester best method is with Indian cylindrical pit design  as I see it, but might be some other solution as well

https://energypedia.info/wiki/Fixed-dome_Biogas_Plants

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/MethaneDigesters/MD5.html
and

as rebloged from: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/BioFuel/VITABIOGAS3M.HTM (this one I like most)

and when we come that far to have a gas internal combustion engine which is probably not so hard to build or even use one as ready made.

Can we have flames of different colors?

Flames of different colors – I don't see what we would gain from this, but it can be done with reducing of increasing the ratio of air at burning – this is with just gas. For welding if you have acetylene and oxygen it depends on the ratio of each if we have yellow flame or we move toward blue one with a centralised point where the temperature is highest: http://www.ehow.com/about_5559097_different-types-flames-gas-welding.html 

But if we add some chemical substance it changes colour also. I don't think that we will see flame, so a colour of it is somehow irrelevant maybe?

Some examples

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_test

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_fire

http://www.sciencecompany.com/Creating-Flame-Colors.aspx

Otto: This was related to my idea of using the output gas for everburning torches. They would look great if we got to choose colors.

Will the reactors bubble or hiss or otherwise appeal to the senses?

Senses of robot or senses of visitors ... hmmmm – robotic sensors are going to measure temperature, the level of gas, etc. This is also going to be visible as data. But if there will be bubbles – hmmm – gas we will produce. How much I don't know now. But if this is going to be a small amount we can make a narrow tube for a small but big quantity of bubbles.

Otto: I was talking of visitors' senses. I just thought they could look weird and creepy, rather than clean and clinical. Interesting idea regarding appealing to robots senses. We should definitely see if we can build something like that into the robot.

How do you make glue out of a dead horse? Or a live one?

I really don't think it's humane or animalane to make glue from a living horse;) In Slovenia we called animal glue as klej and it was used for wood gluing, paper making etc. Today this is used in restoration. Probably this isn't energy output but in horse hide, ligaments and bones there is a lot of collagen which is a key protein. If we would make it as a byproduct somebody should separate this from other parts of a horse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_glue

https://paleotechnics.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/hide-glue-part-ii-glue-making-the-basic-essentials/

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Glue.html 

Otto: I was just thinking of all the uses of a horse, glue is a classic. Maybe not useful for this project, now that I think of it.

Talking of pipes and liquid, do we need pumps, or is gravity flow enough?

For sure I think we will need some slow mixer. And pumps for transport of our horse from one pot to another probably as well ;) Not sure about them, though, but some kind of transport has to exist - I looked at Delvoye's Cloaca, there are pumps. This is reasonable to have.

What do we do with the mess that accumulates in the final reactor?

I think the final product is similar to soil? We can plant some grass and give it to a horse farm to make full circle ;)

Otto: The main point here was, how much of residue will be produced? Do we need to prepare with a huge tank, of empty it every now and then?

Development of a plan: goals

Art project Horsepower is based in the field of media art includes:

- Animatronics - Robotics: construction and management of robots that simulate human and animal characteristics and

- Bioengineering - Energy: Development and construction of the bioreactor.

The basic substantive goals:

- Establishing a metaphor of a horse as a working power, while its emancipation from the service man

- Non-anthropocentric views

- Establishing relationships between biotic and abiotic in trivial language we can say there are relations between what is living and non-living

- Questioning of hybrid bodies

- Establishing relations between body & movement

- Development and construction of the bioreactor with bio-engineered (fermented horse meat), which provides energy to drive the robot - Horse

- Development self-sufficient system (construction, energy, transport)

- Development of movement and senses movement robot horse

- The development of artificial intelligence (AI)

- Development of independent electronic circuits (no template or programming through Arduino or other platforms) depending on the development of the project

- The construction of the robot - Horse

For the one of the next posts: histories - it is interesting how a horse was perceived as artificial device still as horse: this is Iron Dobbin from 1933. Reblogged from Wiki

In the new project, Horse Power (Horse Power) a self-sufficient and self-sustaining system is in development which will allow the robot power to move. In the previous variant of the robot (in Corporis Animati) it is supplied from the storage battery. In the new version, the robot is going to be fed from the decomposition of organic material: degradation of biological material using biological organisms through a process of fermentation obtained greater energy efficiency. Direct bonding of biological material on a mechatronic system (machine - electronic - software design) robot is not exposed as a cyborg (because the tissue is no longer living, and because it is not directly connected with the control panel) as it establishes a hybrid live to (non)living creature. Consciousness robot - the horse is so tied to energy consumption behavior and testing bioreactor cells as useful and useless, the movement, and in space. The robot will use a single bioreactor cell (if there will be enough energy) to ensure awareness and move around the room. Historic reminiscence is noticeable in relation to Galvani experiment with bioelectricity (electric supply to the muscles severed frog's legs) - in which (recently) dead tissue is no longer the movement of before living organism but it is long after the death occurs in the process of disintegration provides energy for the movement.

Some ideas on story and aesthetics

The story might be built on this:

Sebastian the horse was a real friend. Strong, beautiful, kind, always ready to serve. Now he is dead.

Never in his life did he do anything for himself. All his toil and effort was spent for us, to satisfy our needs. We need to reward him now. His whole life was given to us. We let him give to himself now. Hide, muscle, fat, bone, sinew and all the rest is processed as efficiently as the wit of man allows today. What is retrieved is given back. Let the torches burn long and bright in memory of Friend Sebastian.

As a way explanation, I see the whole thing as a complicated and perhaps a little bizarre funeral arrangement. Friend Sebastian is dead, and we a robotic caretaker tends the flames that are fuelled by Sebastian own decomposing body.

A view into horse's tomb

It could be a shrine like arrangement where there is only one opening into otherwise enclosed space. It preserves the sanctity of the grave, gives proper sacred feeling and, talking about practicalities, gives lots of freedom for hiding the techical details of the scene.

Top view of friend Sebastian's tomb

How the robot horse moves the decomposing parts of Sebastian from one reactor to another is a good question.It may even turn out to be amajor obstacle. Here is an idea for a scheme where liquid material moves in pipes and the robot controls everything by opening and closing valves.

Finally, some questions:

1. Can we make the produce of the reactors burn?
2. Can we have flames of different colors?
3. Will the reactors bubble or hiss or otherwise appeal to the senses?
4. How do you make glue out of a dead horse? Or a live one?
5. Talking of pipes and liquid, do we need pumps, or is gravity flow enough?
6. What do we do with the mess that accumulates in the final reactor?

Skype meeting 1. february & Ecobot robot = SYMBOT or robot with a gut

concept:
- making of bioreactor - decomposing horse meat into energy
- construction of robot
- construction of trajectory for robot and its handling of bioreactor

1) bioreactor
development of complex bioreactor decomposing (artificial digestion/dialysis) horse meat:
Where we can get energy
- methane CH4
- from enzymes/proteins decomposing
- temperature rising (to little ?)
- plan B (from fat - possibly pig/cow)

We can predict that we will need up to four different environments in different state of process of decomposing: probably in some there will be oxygen in other not, in some a lot of fluid other not, Each environment should have its own measuring device (measuring level of oxygen, temperature etc.) - if we can get different energy supplies from different environment better (CH4, electricity etc.) -where one process is finished it respond through radio-signal with robot which is using this energy for movement but also for arranging different environments (with water etc.)

Start of the beginning of the process is first accumulation of energy - later we presume constant energy flow


References: Ecobot I - III:  energetically autonomous robots that can remain self-sustainable by collecting their energy from material, mostly waste matter, in the environment on Wiki

diagram link

1)

 link

2)

 link

3)

 link

4) LINK

main literature:

integration between biology and machines has been described as (artificially) symbiotic and has resulted in the introduction of a new class or robots known as Symbots

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 ''The work focused on the construction of a complete MFC-based self-regulating energy system which necessitated exploring mechanisms for (1) collecting, ingesting (eating) new substrate (2) removing waste material (3) maintaining internal homeostasis and (4) performing appropriate behavior for the foraging/ acquisition of food.''

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Polymeric food molecules (starch, chitin, proteins, saccharides) are hydrolysed by microbial enzymes to give monomeric molecules that can be taken up by the cells. Fermentation produces organic acids as the main end-products of metabolism, including acetate, propionate, butyrate, lactate, formate, alcohols and carbon dioxide. The acids produced would normally be expected to reduce the pH. The organic acids (e.g. acetate) are circulated to the MFC units where electrogenic species utilise them by oxidation, through the abstraction of electrons (via the electrode) and producing carbon dioxide and more protons. However, the build-up of acids (and resulting low pH) does not appear to occur, possibly because of one or more of the following reasons: (i) the anaerobic sludge microbes forming into robust and stable biofilms, naturally buffering their surroundings (concomitant production of ammonia and other basic molecules at a rate which neutralises the pH); (ii) loss of acids through volatilization; (iii) effective removal of protons by the MFC cathodic system (PEM and cathode). The latter mechanism appears to be the most important and the system maintains pH homeostasis throughout continuous operation. Alternative designs of cathode employ closed chambers with either chemical electrolytes, fast running water or aerated water. All these systems require high amounts of energy to remain operational and help catalyse the reaction: O2 + 4e- + 4H+ ↔2H2O [+0.82]. In the cases where the chemical electrolyte is fully reduced, or the water/air stops Proc. of the Alife XII Conference, Odense, Denmark, 2010 740 flowing, then the cathodic system no longer acts as the oxidising half-cell, and the H+ ions generated in the anode (cations) cannot find their electrochemical path through to the cathode, thus accumulating to lethal levels for the microbes. The open to the air/periodically moistened cathode, might not be as efficient as the aforementioned alternatives at the initial stages of the MFC lifetime, however it continuously improves with time and eventually outperforms all other systems, especially in terms of longevity. It would be interesting to see (as part of future work) what happens if the robot is fed acid or alkaline mixtures of feedstock, or whether acid build-up does occur when the MFC are electrically disconnected.

read the whole article

reference also: Venus flower