Marcelo Coelho: The Design of Physical Intelligence

Design Tech Public Lecture Series

Abstract

New artificial intelligence systems have shown an unprecedented ability to generate text, images, and code and have surpassed, in many ways, our own human capabilities. However, while these new forms of intelligence promise to have a profound impact on design and creativity, they still remain largely ignorant of the world outside of language, lacking a situated understanding of our physical objects, bodies, and environments.

In this talk, I will present a design and research approach for creating new forms of physical expression and collaboration between human and machine intelligence. Spanning a wide range of media, processes, and scales, I will show how objects can be given new generative forms and behaviors, how computing can support new kinds of creative tools and interactions, and how networks of people and machines can give rise to new forms of collective physical making.

Biography

Marcelo Coelho is the director of the MIT Design Intelligence Lab and a Design Tech Innovation Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Cornell. Developing new objects, tools, and interactive experiences, his work seeks to reveal and bridge the gaps between matter and computation.

Marcelo’s work has been exhibited internationally, including places such as the Rio 2016 Paralympic Ceremonies, Times Square, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Ars Electronica, and can be found in museums, private collections, and billions of products sold all over the world. Recognition for this work includes two Prix Ars Electronica awards, Design Miami/ Designer of the Future Award, Red Dot Design Award, and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award.

Marcelo holds a doctorate from the MIT Media Lab and is a lecturer at the MIT Department of Architecture, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate studios in artificial intelligence, physical design, and human-computer interaction.