Theo Jansen - Son of a Beach

The first time the RWC crew came across Theo Jansen was way back in the summer of 2006 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in The Big Smoke (that’s London to rock dwellers like us).

Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor whose works are crossing the boundaries into science, more specifically robotics. Unlike his NASA/sci-fi inspired counterparts Jansen’s creations are made from plastic electrical conduit (tubing), string, cable ties and plastic bottles, which are used to harness wind power.



The creations resemble skeletons of animals and are able to walk using the wind on the beaches of the Netherlands. OK, here comes the complicated nerdy science bit…Jansen is dedicated to creating artificial life through the use of genetic algorithms, which simulate evolution inside their code. Genetic algorithms can be modified to solve a variety of problems including circuit design, and in the case of Jansen's creations, complex systems. Some measure of "fitness" is introduced into the algorithm; in Jansen's case it is to survive on the beach while moving around within two enclosing lines on the wet sand near the ocean and the dry sand at the edge of the beach.



Those designs best at the assigned task within the modelled beach environment are bred together and graded again. Jansen lets his creations roam free on the beach, measures their success, and updates his models. Over the years, successive generations of his creatures have evolved into increasingly complex animals that walk by flapping wings in response to the wind, discerning obstacles in their path through feelers and even hammering themselves into the sand on sensing an approaching storm.



A couple of years ago, Jansen created the Animaris Rhinoceros Transport, a two-ton walking monster also powered by wind energy, which could be set into motion by just one person dragging it along. Having a cockpit and enough room for several people to comfortably sit inside, the rhinoceros represented Jansen's effort to create a machine version of the beach animal used solely for transport akin to the way cars stand for mechanical versions of horses. He says a future version a 12-ton behemoth, big enough to have several rooms inside.

Check out www.strandbeest.com for more info and pictures.