Lego Robot Replaces Girlfriend

From Craig Davison at the Purdue student paper, The Exponent:

Stanley, a graduate student at Purdue University, has an ongoing exhibit in the West Gallery of the Patti and Rusty Reuff Galleries in the Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts called "Mechanisms," and the small rolling robot is one of the stars.

The idea to use a robot in his art came about when his girlfriend and studio partner for four years went to study in Philadelphia.
Being without his regular studio partner caused some anxieties and even caused him to consider dropping out. According to the artist, he began to isolate himself and become more wired "as a means of temporarily replacing my partner."

The robot, made from a $200 Lego set that is powerful and modifiable, hasn't been named and isn't the best studio partner. He can't hold a conversation with it and it has a tendency to fall apart from time to time.
But, since the robot came to life five months ago, it has made close to 50 smaller drawings and about 20 larger ones,

"It's not a very sexy robot, but it gets the job done," said Stanley.

[Picture is not of Stanley's robot but some other Lego robot from somewhere on the net]

The Exponent - Purdue's Independent Student Newspaper