Hello, Robot: Vitra Design Museum Explores Human-Machine Relations

The Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein presents 'Hello, Robot. Design between Human and Machine', a major exhibition examining the pervasive role of robots in contemporary life. Curated by Amelie Klein (Vitra) with Thomas Geisler, Marlies Wirth (MAK Vienna), and Fredo De Smet (Design Museum Gent), the show features over 150 objects spanning art, design, installations, and short films. It is structured around four thematic clusters—robots in pop culture, industry and labor, technology in daily life, and the symbiotic relationship between human body and machine—and fourteen ethical questions. Works include Carlo Ratti Associati's digitally configurable sofa 'Lift-Bit' (2016), Tatsuya Matsui's plant-moving robot 'Patin' (2014), dystopian projects by Superflux and Joseph Popper, and Dan Chen's 'End of Life Care' (2012). The outdoor installation 'Elytra Filament Pavilion' by the University of Stuttgart uses biomimicry and algorithmic computation. The catalogue, designed by Berlin studio Double Standards, was laid out by an algorithm based on human-set parameters. Mateo Kries, museum director, notes that robots have entered everyday life and design's key challenge is imagining how machines integrate into human existence. The exhibition runs until May 14, 2017.