Littman Library Opens Virtual Museum of Robot Design as Courses Evolve

A virtual museum of robot design is now open that curates the work of faculty, staff and students from Hillier College of Architecture and Design, Newark College of Engineering and Ying Wu College of Computing.

The exhibit engages visitors in a virtual 3D tour including animations, text and videos. The tour starts chronologically, spanning the origins of the terms 'robot' and 'robotics' a century ago, to purely mechanical designs, to modern digital systems including some physically located at NJIT, such as the work of Hillier Associate Professor Martina Decker and several others.

Maya Gervits, director of Hillier's Barbara and Leonard Littman Architecture and Design Library, conceived the idea as a physical exhibit last year. She wanted to pick a topic that represented arts and sciences. The COVID-19 pandemic changed and delayed her plans, however Gervits said she's happy with the outcome.

With robotics, "I realized this is something that's going to be really important, in general, in life and in our program, even before it appeared in the university's plan," Gervits explained. "The idea of robotics was floating for centuries. Just the interpretation was different, in how the idea has transferred from automatons to our times. … When we are back on campus I plan on having this exhibit be physical."

Gervits emphasized the project organization skills of Sara Tappan, who earned an interior design degree here and is now doing her Master's in Architecture. Tappan helped search for a software platform. The team decided on Artsteps. "It was a process of learning because it's very different from the programs that we use," the second-year graduate student from Little Falls said. "It's been a really awesome experience to meet brilliant professors who I probably would have never come into contact with otherwise."

Yet the project involved many other hands. Gervits said Professors Vera Parlac and Hannah Kum-Biocca were also instrumental in the project organization. Gervits was further assisted by librarian Monica Kenzie along with students Anisah Kahndakar, Elizabeth Kowalchuk and Alin Rahman. Faculty members beside Decker, Kum-Biocca and Parlac included Richard Foulds, Carlotta Mummolo, Taro Narahara and Mathew Schwartz. Additional students who helped were Faraz Achajafari, Thiago Bueno, John Hannone, Rohit Goswami, Dorothy Johns, Joe Kaplan, Brandon Kong, Janessa Lasaleta, Jesse Siegle, Yanja Tumubaatar, Amanda Vanderzee and Younes Yousefi. Stryker Corp.'s Kevin Abruzzese also contributed, as did Yoshihiro Kobayashi, a professor at Arizona State University.

The platform is the most exciting part. The fact that it's online and you can virtually explore and navigate this museum, seeing people's work all in one place … if we do this more often it could be a way to showcase more work at NJIT as well

Kowalchuk, a third-year student from Richfield Park, is pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture degree. She helped build the exhibit's 3D model. "My interest is in curation. I plan on hopefully going for a Ph.D. in art history and architectural history, doing museum work," she explained. She's also built 3D models for Louis Hamilton, dean of Albert Dorman Honors College, of which she is a member.

Schwartz, an assistant professor who teaches a range of architecture, art and design courses, said he likes the digital museum platform and thinks it will continue to be useful after the pandemic ends. "The platform is the most exciting part. The fact that it's online and you can virtually explore and navigate this museum, seeing people's work all in one place … if we do this more often it could be a way to showcase more work at NJIT as well," he said.

Kowalchuk and other student leaders in the virtual museum project said they did not know much about robotics before they started, but they're interested in learning more now. Students with this interest have options. Schwartz this semester taught about the overlap between design and computing in AD-409, Special Topics: Introduction to Parametric and Generative Design. Fellow robotics advocate Associate Professor Andrzej Zarzycki teaches how to use a robot arm. Their colleague Narahara's course, ARCH-645, AI, VR, and Architecture, explores the cutting-edge of design technology. A common theme in all such courses is how, in the near future, architects and designers will need to consider the role of robotic builders and users, not just humans.

Students who want even a different challenge can join the NJIT Robotics Club, located in the mechanical engineering building, room 2314, which is open to all.