Researchers of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPC RAS) and staff members of the State Hermitage have developed a VK-bot interpreter of the Flower language. The above bot renders the users an assistance in encrypting their messages via replacing texts on feelings by appropriate flowers. At that, the plants’ images are picked out from the paintings and objects of decorative and applied art as exposed at the Hermitage collections. The project popularizes art as well as helps to get deeper and thoroughly acquainted with the flora’s representatives and their symbolisms over different historical periods.
Here presented bot is based on a book and a research project "Hermitage Garden" – a unique research done by professionals of the museum itself and of the St. Petersburg State University. Exhibits from the Hermitage collection of the Netherlands and Flanders were studied by the museum curators and by scientists-botanists of the St. Petersburg State University. The book was
"Right now, bots are turning out an important tool for propagating information on social networks. For instance, they can be used to popularize science and art among a multi-million audience of social networks. We have developed a chatbot that allows the user for encrypting symbolic messages by picking up the flowers depicted on the pieces of art from Hermitage’s collections," says Andrey Chechulin, Leading Researcher at the Laboratory of Computer Security Problems of SPC RAS.
The bot enters the dialog through the menu buttons. The user can choose a phrase to be translated into the Flower language out of seven categories: to pay a compliment, to sort out the relationship, express the affection, to ponder, to make confessions, deliver revelations, to ask for a date or set a time for it. In response to the selected phrase, the bot sends back the matching flower image. While clicking on the picture, one may see the work’s title and its author.
"We plan to continuously improve the chatbot: extend the number and variability of colors available in the database, says the project author, the “Hermitage Media” Department staff member Daria Petrova. – It also is planned to develop a version in English and get presenting the project at international conferences and exhibitions."