SCHRÖDINGER’S PAINT

Aesthetic MachineATEC-6331Spring 2009

Schrödinger’s Paint

Based loosely off the thought experiment “Schrödinger’s Cat,” where a random event defines the future state of a system: Most commonly presented as a cat that is either alive or dead inside a box.

A canvas mounted with mechanized styluses that draw and paint based on the random degradation of multiple radioactive substances.

FunctionInputs• Radioactive

Substances• Canvas• Pigments

Outputs• Painting derived

from measurements

FunctionAs the

radioactive substances decay at a random half-life, the device will derive color, direction, curve, and length of stylus strokes. Other “random” factors include time of day and temperature—which are used randomly.

Potential Examples

Potential Examples