Ars Electronica is one of the world's largest media art venues, a digital music festival, a showcase for creativity and innovation, and a playground for the next generation – Ars Electronica is a world-class festival for art, technology and society. Ars Electronica Special / Unboxing the festival: As every year, we will open the first evening of the festival with an exciting performance program. BR41N.IO Hackathon at the 2019 Ars Electronia Festival: Apply now for the BR41N.IO Hackathon and develop your own creative projects with the Brain-Computer-Interface (BCI)!

Samantha the Sex Doll is a £3,000 interactive robot designed with one specific purpose: pleasure. She is the latest development in a growing trend in Austria which has seen brothel customers preferring robots over sexual intercourse with a human. During a display at the Ars Electronica Festival in the city of Linz, Samantha shows off her'skills', which include reacting to touch, hugging and moaning - and remembering individuals she has'interacted' with. During a display at the Ars Electronica Festival in the city of Linz, Samantha shows off her'skills', which include reacting to touch, hugging and moaning - and remembering individuals she has'interacted' with The robot doll's developer Sergi Santos says Samantha can remember someone she has interacted with in the past, as she communicates according to the way she was treated by them before. The robot reacts to touch, speaks multiple languages and is even said to be able to learn new things thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) software.