Parasites and Robotics is a sci-fi workshop that bridges biology and robotics, drawing parallels between natural evolution and technological design. By examining concepts such as body architecture, sensory perception, hots, evolution, and behavior, participants will dive into how parasites evolve and interact with their environments and how these biological principles can inspire robotic design.

Through creative exercises, participants will explore how robotic bodies emerge as adaptive entities in environments within digital and physical ecosystems. The workshop invites reflection on environments, interfaces, host bodies, evolution, and the dynamic relationship between organic and artificial life forms.

Using Arduino boards and laptops as a host body, we will explore an ecosystem of processing environments, like TouchDesigner, Pure Data, to create an interactive environment to prototype our robot’s behavior. At the end of the workshop, participants will collectively prototype their parasitic robot.

(*)This workshop is open to anyone interested in robotics, biology, programming, and interdisciplinary research. No prior experience is required.