Q: Which of the types of projects mentioned in “Physical Computing’s Greatest Hits (and misses)” have you seen before? Which are most compelling to you, and why? What strengths and weaknesses do you see in them? What other patterns of physical interaction have you seen repeatedly?
A: The types of projects I knew mentioned in the reading are-
Theremin-like instruments. I have seen a few experimentation’s with the topic. In the last ITP show, a saw a few light bulbs that were turned on and off by moving your hand above them. Every time you lit them, a sound came out. Very cool project. Especially because surprising sounds came out (actual words and different instruments).
Floor Pads I made in a similar way for a project of mine a few years ago. When you stood on them you triggered an old cd drive which was located infront of a projector. When pressed you could see what the projector was showing, otherwise it was covering the output of the projector.
For making the switch itself I used two wooden boards covered on the inside with silver foil, acoustic foam in the middle, wich I cut init multiple holes. I also put foil paper in all of the wholes. When stood on, the circle closed, triggering the cd player to open.
Regarding multitouch interfaces, I have seen a TED lecture by Jeff Han which he demos a 10 finger sensitive screen. Enabling us to interact with the computer with a natural flow, basically the interface disappears. The iPhone is a great example for a multitouch surface, were it transformed the way we were interacting with our phones. From physical buttons, to a multi-touch screen.
The example I found most compelling to me was the Body as cursor. A project I saw using a body as a cursor was made by one of my favorite artist Camille Utterback. She made an amazing project in the City of San Jose, California, called Abundance. As people walked outside the building, there movement generated silluets all over the building. Individuals were represented in bright colors, when walking in a group changing into warm colors. Also, individual movement erases the projection, and group movement colors it.
For me- this is what great interaction is all about: Getting people to interact with one another. Giving them an experience they create together. Project like these let make people see the environment they know in a new light.
Home Work:
Servo/Analog out-
Week3 01 from Talya Stein Rochlin on Vimeo.
Tone Output-
Week3 02 from Talya Stein Rochlin on Vimeo.
And the more complex Lab I made with DJ Tink…
Week3_03 from Talya Stein Rochlin on Vimeo.
Week3_04 from Talya Stein Rochlin on Vimeo.