Assignment 05: Research the Frontier
Overview
Investigate an emerging research frontier at the leading edge of machine learning and creative computation. Explore topics such as multi-agent swarms, physical computing / tinyML on microcontrollers (ESP32-S3), in-browser physics simulations (MuJoCo Wasm), robotic perception, adversarial prompt injection, or open-weight model architectures.
Objectives
- Frontier Investigation: Select a recent (within past 12–18 months) research paper, open-source model architecture, or hardware/software framework and dissect its technical mechanics.
- Experimental Proof-of-Concept: Build a working prototype or interactive sketch demonstrating hands-on exploration of the technique.
- Synthesizing Implications: Analyze how this frontier capability shifts artistic possibilities, infrastructure demands, or societal power dynamics.
- Knowledge Synthesis: Document the findings as an educational report or interactive explainer.
Deliverables
- Interactive Demo / Code Prototype: Working sketch, WebSerial microcontroller interaction, multi-agent simulation, or custom pipeline.
- Frontier Research Brief (600–800 words): Summary of the research foundation, architecture diagrams, benchmark observations, and creative affordances.
- Studio Sharing: In-class demonstration and discussion in Week 12.