What a time to be alive. Technology has evolved with us and for us, to the point of ubiquity, to the point of utter interdependence. Some think that the next logical step is the self-aware thinking machine, one that might be lacking sympathy or empathy for its wetware erstwhile masters.
It just might be that looming danger that has prompted a clever subset of makers to take technology in an entirely different direction. Their machines lack not only the potential for domination, but also any quantifiable utility whatsoever.
Behold the Useless Machine. It harnesses electro-mechanics to do…not much of anything. Most of them are engineered to simply switch themselves off. If form and function are as inescapably conjoined as industrial designers have always insisted, then this austere form must have a similarly elementary function. Is it merely to give us a chuckle? If so, then mission accomplished.
Useless machines are getting more and more elegant, and still not doing much more flipping their own off switches. They’re still amazing to watch. Check out how useless technology is advancing apace:
