A closer look at some of the BigBots on display around the city

Art, imagination and robotics meet in the 11 BigBot robots on display at museums, galleries and public spaces around the city.

Today and tomorrow, we're showcasing four of the BigBots with descriptions and insights from their creators.

The BigBots are part of Robot 250, a massive, multi-site event showcasing the region's creativity in robotics and art. These kinetic sculptures were created by regional artists exploring new ways of using robotic technology to communicate something about the world we live in. None fit the mechanical man image many have of robots, but all challenge viewers to think about robots in new ways.

Most of the BigBots will be hanging around until the end of the week, so now is the time to get out and see them in action. Both of today's subjects are pictured here, and in the case of "Rise and Fall," above right, so is artist Jennifer Gooch, talking with Ajay and Anjana Jain, who are visiting from India.

'Mower'

Artist: Osman Khan.

Where: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens lawn (through Sunday).

Everyone would love to have one of these guys in a yard -- not only for its cool appearance and humorous nature, but also for its practical function. "Mower," aka Moe, is a robotic Styrofoam sheep equipped with a grass shearer in his mouth that autonomously roams the grounds at Phipps, giving the grass an occasional trim. An invisible dog fence on site plus a receiver collar on the robot keep the sheep from wandering off into Schenley Park. Ultrasonic range finders in his eyes keep him from crashing into things.

Creator Osman Khan, a visiting assistant professor of art at Carnegie Mellon, says the piece was inspired by Philip K. Dick's sci-fi novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and also alludes to green/sustainable practices of using sheep to maintain lawns. Says Khan: "The project is not an attempt to build a better lawn mower, but rather a whimsical and symbolic juxtaposition of two systems for labor and servitude, the machine and the domesticated animal, and explores possibilities and alternate visions of the robot in society."