Senster

Senster was a robot artwork of Edward Ihnatowicz. It was commissioned by Philips as an exhibition piece for the Evoluon commissioned and exhibited there from 1970 to 1974 and subsequently dismantled.

It was the first controlled by a digital computer robotic sculpture. She was at her "shoulder" about 2.5 meters high and 4 meters long. It consisted of welded steel tubes and was moved by hydraulic pistons. On her "head" were four microphones and two Doppler radar sensors mounted as received the sounds and movements of the surrounding people. A computer system (Philips P9201 - a clone of the more common Honeywell DDP -416 ) controlled the robot and steered his behavior so that he dressed up quiet sounds and slow movements, was of loud noises and sudden movements but repelled. The complicated acoustics of the hall and the unpredictable behavior of visitors was the behavior of the Senster appear considerably more complex than its programming suggested.