Some nice work here, both interactive art and 3d visualization using Arduino boards and the Processing language.
December 6, 2007
November 13, 2007
SpiderCrab
It’s kind of a stretch to call it furniture, but maybe you get it put in your home anyway. This was another project from DUX that I was talking bout today, which was done by a group in the UK. There is a lot of high level dance theory behind it which went over my head, but it’s basically these robotic legs that react to your movement. They had this in the exhibit hall and they let anyone try it. It entertaining to watch people get whacked by it while we ate.
SpiderCrab is concerned with design development for a robotic agent, using models and theories of performance. The focus is on ways that designers and performers work together as an interdisciplinary team. It will build and experiment with two prototypes for an originally-conceived robotic agent. The eventual 6-limbed, 2-metre high SpiderCrab robot will be a multi-sensorial mediation between architectural environment and dancing partner. A key objective will be for the human agent interacting with SpiderCrab to experience performative merging. A key novelty at this phase will be to integrate state of the art techniques for visual object detection and tracking into the body of the SpiderCrab. The robot will have pseudo-human characteristics including precoil and recoil in gesture, learning, aesthetic choice, redundant movement, mood and physical temperament. Two developmental processes will be realised: (1) a virtual realisation of SpiderCrab, (2) a concrete realisation of one prototype limb. Both realisations will be confined to the visual sensorium, although this will be processed in terms of both gestalt and proxemic data. While SpiderCrab will be fully realised beyond the present prototyping project, the robot itself will constitute an objectile, setting continued evolutionary challenges to software design, robot engineering, performance specialists and human agents.
more info on their website.
November 6, 2007
Bowl: token based media for children
While at DUX, one of the presentations so far is something that is relevant to this class. Einar Sneve Martinussen presented a project that gives control of media displayed on television to children. Inside the box is an RFID reader, and he implanted his daughters toys with RFID tags.
Based on what she places in the bowl, different media files and different media types are triggered and played on the screen. It gives control of the media to the child and allows for a more natural interaction instead of having it dictated by people who arrange programs on television. He used regular media as well as family videos and photos. In one iteration, using a mortar to stir the bowl triggered random photos to appear.
I think it’s interesting how the form of objects can cater to the audience of people, and you can use familiar objects to interact with pieces of media or other furniture. Check out his blog for more.
October 31, 2007
Workshop: Interactive and Adaptive Furniture
Two day workshop, looks like it could be fun. Application is a short paper describing your work/interest in this field.
October 25, 2007
Augmented Sculpture v1.0
A wonderful sculpture that uses simple shapes and colors, watch the installation video.
Class Examples for 25 Oct 07
Raffaello D’Andrea — maker of the collapsing/reassembling chair and the table that interacts with people in the room.
Matt Heckert — artist creating large, noisy sculptures.
Tabby, an interactive lamp by Atsuro Ueki.
A walking table from a Dutch design fair.
October 24, 2007
A Sound-Responsive Face for your Furniture
Probably a few tricks you can learn from this audio-responsive LED bank.
October 23, 2007
23 Oct class notes
The ITP tutorial on high current loads.
How to connect a rotating shaft to a circuit using slip rings.
Driving a stepper motor with EasyDriver, which can be purchased from SparkFun.
Determining how far something has moved or turned using rotary encoders.
Making Furniture Interactive 