KATSU

Mecha

Autonomous Painting.

Role

Creative Technologist

Overview

For Katsu's 'Mecha' exhibition at the Omnigallery in London, I led the engineering of two distinct installations. The first installation involved building a linear rail system designed to continuously spray a singular spray paint can. This system was engineered using an 80/20 frame, a stepper motor, and an Arduino microcontroller. I incorporated a limit switch to establish a home position for calibration before each use ensuring precision and consistency in the artwork's creation.

The movements of the rail were meticulously programmed and hard-coded onto the Arduino. This programming dictated where and how much paint was to be applied on the canvas which allowed for controlled and deliberate paint distribution. Additionally, a custom holder was 3D printed securing the spray paint can and enabling it to spray continuously until empty.