Roboexotica

Roboexotica (sometimes spelled: Roböxotica) is an annual festival and conference where scientists, researchers, computer experts and artists from all over the world build cocktail robots and discuss technological innovation, futurology and science fiction.

Starting in 1993, art and technology group monochrom (Johannes Grenzfurthner, Franz Ablinger) published an alternative magazine and online bulletin that featured blueprints for interesting DIY projects (like creating a DIY isolation tank or building a rocket out of an office water cooler) and released articles and pamphlets that criticized the "uninspired and martial" machine culture (e.g. poking fun at Survival Research Labs and etoy) and supported a more playful way to create robots, specifically demanding that robots should "party with us, not work for us.

"[5] In 1999, Magnus Wurzer and Chris Veigl (of Shifz) presented a self-made bar robot at the small independent Viennese culture and art space VEKKS.

[15] The book features reflections on the festival and presents statements by former participants including Cory Doctorow, Dorkbot's Doueglas Repetto, Bre Pettis, V. Vale, Karen Marcelo of Survival Research Laboratories or RoboGames' David Calkins and Simone Davalos.

The whole event was live-streamed as a videocast and hosted by Johannes Grenzfurthner, who also interviewed artists and technologists from all around the globe.