2015 – Jller: A Robot Rearranges Pebbles by Geologic Age

Jller is a machine created by German artist Benjamin Maus and Czech artist Prokop Bartoníček that sorts pebbles from the German river Jller by their geologic age.

To do this, Jller first analyzes an image of the stone it selects, extracting information like dominant color, color composition, lines, layers, patterns, grain, and surface texture. The machine then places the stones in alignment of age and type by sucking them into an industrial vacuum gripper and dropping them in the correct location within the grid.

Also see our other entries on physical visualizations created by rearranging objects.

Source: Kate Sierzputowski (2016) A Kinetic Artwork that Sorts Thousands of Random River Stones by Age.