I am always excited to find out about artists using technology effectively. That is somewhat of an understatement for Chicago artist Sabrina Raaf. From her artist's statement:

 I am interested in making creative machines - machines that independently make art when cross-pollinated with human interaction.

One such creative machine is grower - a small robot that travels the borders of a room, rendering CO2 levels as green lines on the bottom of the wall. The result is a generated 'lawn', a graph of traffic flow through the space over time.

Another project that I found fascinating was searchstoretrash, which makes use of remote controlled vehicles and tiny cameras. The vehicles are user-controlled, and travel along a track installed in the gallery. Users can choose to either view the vehicles directly on the track, or experience their movement on a television via the on-board cameras. Raaf writes:

While sitting in an office chair, the web navigator's body remains static. Yet, there is the impression of mobility - even travel - while the solo navigator explores the organic architecture of the web.

Raaf's portfolio of work is impressive. In addition to her mechanical installations, she has also worked with other media, including photography and with bacterial cultures. Visit her website for a more complete picture of her work.