“Hello, Robot – Humans, Machines, and Design” Exhibition Site at Hyundai Motorstudio Cultural Center

If filling out a questionnaire could automatically generate a seat tailored to your personal preferences, would you still take your time browsing through the myriad of designer pieces offered in physical stores or online? If a more convenient lifestyle could be achieved, would you mind having a microchip implanted under your skin? And if by your side at the end of life was an intelligent, tech-equipped end-of-life care machine, would you be able to accept it gracefully?

“Hello, Robot — Humans, Machines, and Design” Exhibition Venue, Hyundai Motorstudio Cultural Center

Since the birth of robotics technology, human life has been undergoing profound and continuous changes. Critical reflections from sociological, ethical, and philosophical perspectives have never ceased. Positive and negative viewpoints coexist, while reality reveals a far more complex situation. This complexity is equally reflected in the field of design—where the increasingly widespread use of robotics or intelligent technology not only reshapes modes of interaction but also redefines the relationships between humans and others, as well as humans and the external world.

"Hello, Robot — Humans, Machines, and Design" Exhibition at the Hyundai Motorstudio Cultural Center

The exhibition "Hello, Robot — Humans, Machines, and Design," co-hosted by the Hyundai Motorstudio Cultural Center and the Vitra Design Museum, approaches related issues from the perspective of design. Through designs, videos, and other works displayed across four "rooms" in the gallery, the exhibition presents the topic in a manner that moves from a distant, conceptual understanding to a closer, more tangible experience. The exhibition’s flow gradually progresses from conceptual recognition of robots to their coexistence with the human body, with abstract ideas and concrete encounters together prompting viewers to reflect on robot technology itself as well as the social, economic, and political factors it encompasses.

Superflux Studio, Drone Shed installation — three drones, various materials, video 6 minutes 34 seconds, 2015.

In the first room titled “Science and Imagination,” exhibits of varying sizes and forms either align with or subvert visitors’ preconceived notions of robots. This space not only showcases robotic images from films like Star Wars and The Matrix, as well as comics such as Astro Boy and Ghost in the Shell, but also presents drones, digital car models,  While the public’s understanding of robots remains largely shaped by popular culture’s imagination and portrayal, the exhibition timely reminds us that intelligent products—disguised in various forms—have quietly expanded the concept of robots and constantly accompany modern life. Among the works, an installation titled The Power of Politics, composed of three multi-plug sockets, conveys a deeper metaphor. Through three different circuit connection methods representing various social systems, the piece vividly reveals the ideologies and worldviews embedded behind the design of products.

Automato.farm Studio, The Power of Politics, Light Installation, Models M, D, and T, Video, 2 minutes 37 seconds, 2016

The advancement of technology has largely achieved the liberation of labor. However, like everything else, it has two sides. As early as the First Industrial Revolution, fears of unemployment caused by new technologies were widespread in society. This concern persists to this day, but its scope has gradually expanded from basic labor to include work involving more intellectual factors. The exhibition’s second room, titled “Designing for Work,” offers a lateral perspective on these phenomena through the lens of design. For instance, the animated video “The Last Job on Earth: Imagining a Fully Automated World” conveys a pessimistic sentiment—that the “Brave New World” comes at an inevitable cost. Meanwhile, a series of objects produced using 3D printing technology demonstrate how new technologies challenge the traditional “designer-consumer-manufacturer” model. In other words, it points to the possibility of consumers and producers merging into one under the influence of new technology, suggesting a return to a higher-quality, self-sufficient social model.

UCL Bartlett School of Architecture “3D Printed Cantilever Chair” Chair, ABS Plastic, Video, 3 minutes 27 seconds, 2015

Beyond large-scale changes, robots have also deeply entered human domestic life, providing both physical assistance and emotional support as companions. The third room, titled “Friends and Assistants,” examines this closer, more intimate connection between humans and technology. The exhibition features films such as My Uncle, WALL·E, Her, and Robot & Frank, each offering distinct perspectives and narratives about human-robot relationships. Scattered throughout the space are a wide range of design products—from electronic pets and robotic dogs to battlefield rescue robots and end-of-life care machines—covering nearly every possible scenario where robots intersect with human life. Notably, robots in these films and in reality no longer serve merely as extensions of physical capability; they have fully entered the human emotional realm, achieving a metaphysical level of interaction. This evolution raises pressing ethical questions that society must thoughtfully confront and address.

Vip Reichelt, Spider Skirt 2.0, Various materials, 3D printing, Intel Edison microcontroller, Video, 21 seconds, 2015

The final section of the exhibition, titled "Becoming One", envisions the ultimate relationship between humans and machines as a state of human-machine integration. From molecule shoes that mimic the growth patterns of cells in nature, to driving waves that calculate traffic gaps in real time to guide networked vehicles safely and efficiently, to architectural materials made from recycled components, and even visions of mobile cities—this section showcases design concepts and products spanning fashion, transportation, architecture, and urban planning. Meanwhile, innovations such as robotic exoskeletons, xBTi subdermal chips, and dynamic robotic arms bring to life the fusion of the human body and intelligent machines, echoing the human-machine hybrids once only imagined in science fiction films.

Institute for Architectural and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart, Research Pavilion, architectural model, scale 1:20, mixed media, 2013–2014.

Also presented throughout the exhibition space are 14 questions closely tied to the exhibition's central themes, such as: “Do we really need robots?”, “Do you think objects have emotions?”, and “Do you believe in the death and rebirth of things?” Clearly, the answers to these questions vary depending on individual perspectives. The exhibition deliberately avoids making definitive judgments, maintaining a neutral stance. In truth, any reflection on such issues is bound to evolve alongside changes in real-world conditions and shifting perceptions. Beyond the visual intrigue of these novel design works, it is this underlying dialectical thinking that constitutes a key value of the exhibition.

Text by: Wang Wei
Images: Hyundai Motorstudio