Glowbot Garden is an opportunity for people to meet a host of inflatable, pneumatically controlled creatures, many of which are taller than double-decker buses, in the largest presentation to date from creative soft robotics studio Air Giants.
The different robots respond with unique motion, light and sound, making no two interactions identical.
Highlights in the garden, which will take over Strand Aldwych which will include Luma – the 9 metre-long, flexing, contorting snail and Unfurl – a dreamscape of 17 plants including giant interactive vines, arches and ferns. The largest of the robots towers over 5 meters high.
Glowbot Garden is being brought to the Strand in January as a result of a collaboration between King’s Culture, Estates and Facilities and the Department for Engineering. The event is being generously supported by The Northbank BID, with additional advice and expertise from Westminster City Council. It is part of a programme of educational and creative commissions activity in the Strand Aldwych area intended to connect the public and local communities with life-long learning, research, art and performance.
Glowbot Garden
A free, outdoor display.
17 – 20 January 2024, 12noon – 8pm daily.
Located at Strand Aldwych – Outside St Mary Le Strand Church
This experience will be subject to weather. Visitors are advised to check @CulturalKings on the day for confirmation.
There’s a range of exciting free events as part of Glowbot Garden. Explore all events here.
Air Giants, acclaimed for being the first company in the world making interactive soft robotics at scale, were in residence at King’s College London in 2022 with the Department of Engineering, supported by King’s Culture. Air Giants collaborated with King’s robotics researchers and students to explore how we might develop the next generation of robots that learn by interacting with humans.
The residency, rooted in research led by Dr Oya Celiktutan, Head of the Social AI & Robotics Lab within the Department of Engineering, uses the theory of Proxemics – the study of how humans use space as a form of non-verbal communication – to explore how motion, distance and space might facilitate effective communication between humans and robots.
20 February 2025
On-street security briefings take place on the third Thursday of the month at 11am in The Northbank. These briefings are for those with an interest in the safety and security of the area, particularly those working in security. Last month’s briefing focused on the new pedestrianised space, Strand Aldwych, and addressed security concerns such as phone snatching and theft. To receive invites please register for security updates here.
15 May 2025
On-street security briefings take place on the third Thursday of the month at 11am in The Northbank. These briefings are for those with an interest in the safety and security of the area, particularly those working in security. Last month’s briefing focused on the new pedestrianised space, Strand Aldwych, and addressed security concerns such as phone snatching and theft. To receive invites please register for security updates here.
