Whenever there is a way

2016

Whenever there is a way is a small-scale autonomous car by Rene Beekman.

The car has an algorithm that points the car in a specific direction and starts driving full speed ahead until it hits an obstacle. At that point, it stops and sits there until it decides on a new course.

The autonomous car is in many ways about how we tend to live our lives.

I created the car for the Friendly little creatures ( or Малки забавни създания in Bulgarian) exhibition in 2016.

The first version was included in the shows at the Credo Bonum gallery in Sofia, and at the Contemporary Space gallery in Varna.

For the show at U10 in Belgrade in 2017, a new and improved version was created.

Version 1 (2016)

Materials used: MDF, liquid rubber, metal, aluminium, an infra-red distance sensor and custom electronics.

Version 2 (2017)

Materials used: plexiglass, PLA plastics, inline wheels, 3 infra-red distance sensors and custom electronics.

A GoPro camera was mounted on top of the car during the openingnight at U10. Video from the camera was live streamed to a large video projection.