“Visually UKI is inspired by the resilient biological life in the harsh Australian outback. Stimulated by her immediate environment, UKI senses and responds, pulsating in rhythmic machinations and provoking interactive engagement. Threaded throughout her wings and body are LED arrays highlighting majestic aspects of her overall design. The innovative lighting is synchronized with a dynamic soundscape and responds to her movements.
UKI’s base structure is the heavily modified chassis of a short wheelbase 4WD we have converted to be electric powered. Rising above the surrounding crowd and visible from far and wide, her wings reach a height of over 4.5m (15ft) with a wingspan of over 6m (19 ft). She can be driven at walking pace as a roving installation or be parked as a standalone kinetic sculpture.
Precision machined joints and mechanisms allows Uki to smoothly move her wings, abdomen and 6 legs with insect like characteristics. The articulations are driven by electric actuators with custom designed controllers for a high level of accuracy and function. Uki runs a fully battery powered system and has 0.75 tonne of batteries built into her undercarriage. This removes the need and noise of generators to allow her audience to be immersed in the sound scapes and the ambience she creates. Uki can run for up to approx. 7hrs on battery power with a 7hr recharge time.”
Created by Make Mob. EXP were responsible for the robotics animation and control software.
UKI on Facebook