Pingbirds are telerobotic birds that send ping commands to servers geographically located in the Amazon region (where the rainforest is located). The pingbirds sing the songs of real Amazonian birds according the rhythm of global network traffic. The ping command operates by sending a packet to a designated address and waiting for a response. It is used to monitor round-trip travel time and as such is a direct measurement of current Internet traffic. In the interactive telepresence installation "Uirapuru," greater Internet traffic results in the telerobotic birds singing more often.

Please click on the pingbird images above to hear their songs.


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