Braitenberg Vehicles

by Utku Alkan, Jakub Gawroński and Hannes Reinhold

The Braitenberg Vehicles Interactive Exhibit brings so called Braitenberg Vehicles to life through a combination of physical interaction and real-time digital simulation. Inspired by Valentino Braitenberg’s thought experiments in synthetic psychology, the exhibit enables users to physically construct behavioral logic using sensors and wires, which is immediately mirrored in a simulated environment built with Unity. The hardware component consists of RFID-based sensor placement detection and a custom cable connection interface, which transmits data wirelessly to the software side. The simulation models realistic vehicle motion using Unity’s physics system, with cars reacting to light stimuli based on user-defined wiring. The result is an open-ended sandbox where users can explore emergent behaviors such as fear, aggression, and curiosity.