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An elegantly coded piece of software is a work of art — to some. Some, but not many people, can admire the art of engineering a chemical reaction.
Almost anyone, however, can appreciate the artistry in laying mosaic tile, or designing a striking piece of jewelry. Thanks to two Boston-area startups, the tech-minded may now have a special appreciation for these art forms, too.
Boston-based Artaic LLC has built a robot that can lay mosaic tile 10 times faster than a human being. Meanwhile, in a Lexington startup incubator, Paragon Lake Inc. is building an online marketplace for custom-made jewelry.
“We’re art technology,” said Artaic founder and CEO Ted Acworth of his second startup venture. In 2006, he and co-founder Douglas Hart sold 3-D medical imaging company Brontes Technologies Inc. to 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) for $95 million.
Acworth recently picked up mosaic as a hobby. “When I realized all the time it takes, I thought, ‘I could engineer a robot to do this,’” he said.
He wouldn’t show the proprietary device in its entirety, but he shared a video revealing just the robot’s mechanical hand as it quickly pulled 3/8-inch tiles of colored glass from a pre-set pallet and dropped them into square slots. In 12 to 14 minutes, the robot can make patterns it would take a skilled mosaicist at least two hours to piece together, he said.
While Acworth came to his idea through art, Paragon Lake co-founder Matt Lauzon came to his through business.
“We were looking for a big industry ready to change,” said the 23-year-old Babson College graduate. More customers want unique jewelry, and artists want to monetize their jewelry designs. Meanwhile, mom-and-pop jewelers need new revenue streams, Lauzon explained.
In an online catalog operated by jewelers, customers can view 3-D images of designs and try different metals or stones. Orders go to a fabrication shop, and the designer earns a royalty. Soon, Lauzon plans to roll out iterative changes, like altering the width of a band.
“The challenge is making sure any changes that can be made are within the realm of what can be produced,” he said.
Artaic also plans to expand its software capabilities, eventually allowing artists to experiment with mosaic in a software like Adobe Systems Inc.’s Photoshop, then quickly take the digital design to a finished product.
Boston College fine arts assistant professor Sheila Gallagher is one of five professional artists working with Artaic. At a former student’s suggestion, she submitted digital images of some over-sized impressionist paintings of flowers.
“I was really surprised that the paint, which is so physical, would have a really nice translation onto the mosaics,” she said. “I think there are so many fantastic potentials for this technology. It’s really creative.”
Acworth said he can turn a digital image into a mosaic for a cost of about $175 to $225 a square foot, but that’s not the point.
“We’re trying to make real art,” said Acworth. “If it’s done right, it’s not a quote based on footage. It’s a quote based on the overall impact of the piece.”
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