‚To feel as a metaphor for feelings. Led by our feelings we make decisions. Decisions that influence our life, our way. Every decision has an effect that evolves immediately or any time in the future. Every decision leaves a trace in our lives. Sometimes a big trace, sometimes a small trace. What happens when machines make decisions based on feelings? How do machines feel?‘
By investigating this question I created the haptical explorer, a cartesian system moving a surface sensor over a sheet of styrofoam. The idea is that this sheet of styrofoam stands for the life of the machine and by moving the sensor over the surface the machine is gathering feelings. Depending on these feelings the machine makes decisions on the next step in it‘s life. Furthermore there is also a coiled heating wire attached to the sensor head that manipulates the structure of the surface right after it has been read by the sensor. Thus every decision the machine makes changes its life.