DIAYN project aims to create a bionic organism by using a library of different robot motions, where an asymmetric non-zoomorphic mechatronic robot will be controlled by a synthetic brain-on-a-chip organelle. Neural cells will be reprogrammed from leucocytes from the artist’s blood into stem cells and then into neural stem cells, further grown on an electronic circuit board. The project is an innovation in the interdisciplinary field of art, biotechnology, and robotics, challenging the traditional boundaries between living biological and artificial technological systems. The collaboration of artists with biotechnologists and engineers in the fields of electronics, mechatronics, and artificial intelligence creates new solutions and heralds the continued development of artistic robotics that goes beyond the utilitarian coldness of the machines we live with.
Image courtesy of the artist
Image courtesy of the artist
Image courtesy of the artist
Image courtesy of the artist
The use of methods such as RoboGrammar and, in particular, the new DIAYN method (a type of artificial intelligence that computes motion without reward) is revolutionizing the understanding and design of motion, where motion is not confined to predefined structures or functions, but evolves through processes of learning and adaptation, similar to natural evolutionary processes. In doing so, the DIAYN project not only develops new movement patterns but also adds knowledge about the interaction between the physical and cognitive aspects of cybernetic entities.
The DIAYN project opens up new perspectives in understanding the complex relationships between artificial and biological systems, while at the same time offering the potential for the development of new forms of adaptive and autonomous robots. Incorporating a creative and non-deterministic approach to designing a bionic organism that learns and evolves in real-time not only reflects a life-like characteristic but also sets a new paradigm in cybernetics that goes beyond traditional reinforced machine learning methods and allows for learning or evolution without reward.
At the heart of the DIAYN project lies my fascination with the essence and fluidity of movement, serving as a bridge between the biological and the artificial. The DIAYN project opens up new perspectives in understanding the complex relationships between artificial and biological systems, while at the same time offering the potential for the development of new forms of adaptive and autonomous robots. Incorporating a creative and non-deterministic approach to designing a bionic organism that learns and evolves in real-time not only reflects a life-like characteristic but also sets a new paradigm in cybernetics that goes beyond traditional reinforced machine learning methods and allows for learning or evolution without reward.
Zoran Srdić Janežič
Jury Statement
We are embarking on a journey with DIAYN – Diversity Is All You Need project, where robotics meet biology and self-evolving systems that redefine intelligence will be created. Zoran Srdić Janežič’s project merges AI with the organic response from neurons, offering possible solutions for robotic shape and movement. The project aims for a leap into autonomous, adaptive entities evolving in real-time, pushing the limits of our Hybrid Intelligence Challenge.
Kersnikova Institute
Zoran Srdić Janežič (SI)
Zoran Srdić Janežič (b. 1974) is a sculptor, intermedia artist, and puppet designer at the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre.
His work employs new materials and technologies: animatronics, moving mechanisms in conjunction with biological materials, 3D virtual design, virtual reality installations with AR codes, and sculptural work combining different materials and technologies. In the development of artistic projects, he collaborates with experts in the fields of programming, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, nanotechnology, etc.
Zoran Srdić Janežič has had more than 20 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions, both in Slovenia and internationally (Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Bozar in Brussels, Centquatre in Paris). Some of his sculptures are part of the permanent collections of prominent galleries, and following a competition by the Municipality of Ljubljana, he erected a public monument in the city center. In 2020 he was selected for the S+T+ARTS residency program. He received an Honorary Mention at Art Electronica Festiva 2023 for his project Biobot.