Opening Week 2025: What you can learn from a headless robot
2025-10-09 The 1,500 or so first-year students are reluctant to let Dutch performer Daniel Simu and his stage partner Robin leave. About unusual acrobatics, a belly full of technology and a lively discussion.
When Robin falls on the stage of the Libeskind Auditorium, something unexpected happens. Many of the students in the packed hall are startled, some seem concerned – others applaud. It is warm, encouraging applause that seems to say, ‘Get back up, you can do it!’
But Robin doesn't even have a head. The robot, which is about one metre tall and weighs eleven kilograms, consists of a technical body, four thin metal struts as limbs and plastic hands and feet at the ends.
His ‘father’ is Daniel Simu – a term that the Dutch circus artist himself probably doesn't like to hear. ‘It's just a collection of parts,’ he says of his stage partner, the Acrobot. And yet, loving details catch the eye: Robin and Simu wear the same trainers. Both seem a little nervous before their performance. Perhaps Robin is more than the sum of his parts after all?
This is precisely what the exciting experiment, which is sparking an intense exchange in the central building of Leuphana University, is all about. Long after the performance, there is still a queue in front of the stage. The first-year students have many questions for Daniel Simu: How has his emotional relationship with machines changed? Does he plan to equip Robin with artificial intelligence? What programming language is behind it?
Simu's focus is on physical interaction with the machine. He dances, balances and juggles with Robin as if he were a human acrobat. The movements are pre-programmed – but even a small error in the code can lead to a failed manoeuvre.
The discussion with the new students also touches on a deeper concern: could machines one day completely replace artists? Daniel Simu doesn't think so. For him, the magic lies precisely in the interaction between humans and machines – and in the purposelessness of his robot. Robin does not optimise processes or maximise profits. Robin is there to bring joy.
And to shift perspectives: the word ‘innovation’ is emblazoned on the big screen. Daniel Simu invites the students to take part in a little experiment. An object must be transferred creatively from the left hand to the right. Key rings and purses fly through the air, over shoulders, around hips, over heads.
‘You are now inventors,’ the artist summarises. And Robin stands next to him on stage. Although he cannot speak, his performance shows that technology does not have to replace – it can inspire.