SPOT x KAFKA – A theatrical exploration of humanity and technology

Meet the virtuoso robot Spot, and join the conversation about the impact of advanced technology on the society of tomorrow.

Robots that are faster, smarter, stronger, and far more technologically advanced than humans; within ten years, we’ll see them more often in public spaces. How do we think about their arrival? With Spot x Kafka, the visual theater company Ulrike Quade Company and tech incubator YES!Delft explore the relationship between humans and robots.

Assistant to Humans

Spot is an online celebrity. Videos showcasing what this robot can do have been viewed millions of times on YouTube. Spot reaches up until your waist, and is equipped with hypersensitive sensors, (infrared) cameras, and four slender legs that allow it to move smoothly over the roughest terrain.
In ten years, we’ll consider it normal. These yellow robot dogs and their kind will increasingly appear in our streetscape, ready to assist humans. For as long as needed, in heatwaves and heavy rain.

Generally speaking, people find it easy to accept robots with a simple practical use, like delivering packages or mowing the lawn. It’s different when it comes to robots that surpass human knowledge and skills. People are—understandably—afraid of these kinds of robots. They wonder if TV series and movies about robots and surveillance techniques restricting our freedom will come true.

A Personal Encounter with Spot

How do you feel about this? Would you like to join the conversation? Or just listen? We invite you to visit the theater and get to know Spot. We will share our initial research findings and discuss the role of intelligent robots in the society of tomorrow on October 5 at Theater de Verbeelding in Purmerend as part of the Festival of Imagined Science.

Collaboration with YES!Delft

Three years ago, the leading tech incubator YES!Delft purchased a Spot robot, which is now being mass-produced. They are testing the practical possibilities of this technical all-rounder and informing 21 municipalities in the metropolitan region The Hague–Rotterdam (MRDH) on how they can prepare citizens for their arrival.
To explore the associated ethical questions, they sought to collaborate with Ulrike Quade Company. In our performances and research projects, we have been working with advanced technologies and their potential societal impact for years.

Etude of Dramaturgy for Devices

Spot x Kafka is (also) the first etude of Dramaturgy for Devices. Ulrike Quade Company is one of the partners in this project, enabled by the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA), in which researchers and artists in the field of robotics and theatre work together to develop the behaviour and communication skills of robots.