Virtual reality ballet in 360º: KUKA robot on stage at the Staatstheater Augsburg
01 June 2021
Man and machine dance together on a virtual ballet stage: A KUKA industrial robot is one of the main actors in this unusual piece at the Staatstheater Augsburg. The 360º production is watched by the audience from home using virtual reality glasses.
Usually, the KR IONTEC is used in industrial production for tasks such as welding, palletising or assembly. But this time, on loan to the Staatstheater Augsburg (State Theatre Augsburg), the robot is interacting with 17 dancers on a theatre stage. The focus of the production is on the subject of human-machine interaction, with technical programming juxtaposed with human consciousness.
The premiere is on September 10, 2021, from which day "kinesphere" will be available for order. As an innovative ballet experience, the piece is part of the virtual reality productions of the Staatstheater Augsburg. The VR glasses will be delivered to audiences' homes throughout Germany. Viewers can immerse themselves in the 360º performance from the comfort of their sofa at home.
Combining technology and art
This is not the first time that KUKA industrial robots have been used in the cultural scene outside of production halls. The Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, for example, combines the thematic fields of art, technology and society. Among other things, the "Creative Robotics" exhibition – a collaboration with KUKA – showcased industrial robots away from the factory floor and explored them as a tool for creative expression.
In 2019, choreographer and dancer Huang Yi danced with a KR CYBERTECH during a festival in Düsseldorf. And at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, as part of an art installation, a KUKA robot used a quill and ink to write Hebrew letters on an approximately 80-metre-long roll of paper at the speed of human handwriting.
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