Rosalind Picard is the director and founder of the Affective Computing group at the MIT Media Lab. "Affective Computing" can involve implementing emotions and giving a computer the ability to recognize, express and respond to emotions, among other things (Source: Affective Computing, 2000).
This video demonstrates how measuring arousal via skin conductance sensors can give us insight into what techniques can best connect with people on an emotional level. For example, measuring arousal during a movie commercial, a class, or a presentation. These sensors have applications in advertising, health, education and many other fields.
Elmo Calls
Project Date: 2011
Elmo Calls is an interactive educational tool that encourages children to engage in imaginative play, practice new skills, and sing songs with Elmo. It was developed by a group of child-development experts, veteran toy designers and interaction designers at IDEO. (Source: Elmo Calls, IDEO Toy Lab).
I find this video pretty cool because it's so creative and playful yet still manages to show how important the choice of technology (phone, sound, video) as well as context (ex: bedtime, bathroom) is to the engaging the user. I also love how it involves the parents, who can program times for Elmo to call their son or daughter. This has a lot of applications in education and entertainment.
Why? As an international student, I often have cravings for specific tastes. One day, a friend made a comment that if we can record the smell of the food, it will relieve the nostalgia to an extent. My initial intention was to research on how to do this, until I came across this.
Michael Hansmeyer: Building Unimaginable Shapes Why? Instead of working to create geometric shapes, Michael Hansmeyer controls the processes that create the shapes. He creates the system other than works within a system. How: The columns are generated through algorithmic computations. Each layer of the columns are then laser cut and assembled to create the final outcome. Who: Michael Hansmeyer
The first work I want to introduce is using 3D printer technology to build bulb. by CMU
Field: 3D print; New output.
Technology: Using 3D printer can easily build structures which can never be achieved by traditional fabrication. The bulb is composed of millions of light pipes in which light can be totally internal reflected.
Interaction: Basically it is a new kind of output without any input, however, the makers made several interesting toys based on this technology. As follows:
A toy can move its eyes when human is being around.
A chess which can show digital information on its surface. It's really cool and may someday change the playing of traditional chess!
Value: I think the kinds of feedback, output of our daily life is increasing with the development with computation ability, material science and fabrication technology. The 3D printed bulb changed the way that we get information from light. Also, the work is exploring the possibility that what we can do with 3D printer in light output. It is just one field of feedback and it will for sure inspire more exploration using this technology to build feedback devices.
The second work:
The second work I want to introduce is also from CMU and it is called Acoustic Barcode. It used coded pattern to carry information. When scratched, it makes sound which is binary sequence. A lot of information can be based on binary sequence thus can be based on that acoustic bar.
Field: New input.
Technology: As the picture shown above, the sound wave is captured by a microphone attached on the surface. Computer will analysis the sound information and translate it into binary sequence.
Interaction: By simply scratch a acoustic bar, computers will know what you are scratching. It has several applications such as museum and classroom.
Value: The work enriches the way of input from physical world to digital world. Though it cannot carry as much information as two-dimension code, it provides users a easy interaction (scratch) and can be easily achieved by using smartphone.
The third work:
The third work I want to introduce is stretchable interface developed by Keio University. Using Photoreflectors, a normal stocking can be a new kinds of input to detect stretching and can be used in many applications.
Field: New input, IR photo reflector
Technology: When stretched the pattern of a stocking is sparser than not stretched, which allows more transmissivity light go through it. By measure the reflected light, the photoreflectors can tell whether and how much the stocking is stretched.
Interaction: Several applications have been realized by authors, for example the skin of robot. Using this technology, the robot can sense whether it is touched and what is the direction of touching.
Value: I think the stretchable interface gave a good idea of using simple technology to make normal things interactive. Also, the materials they used is quite common and easy to get. The stocking provides natural soft feedback, however, when combined with sensors, it was a novel input method. We should rethink the material in our daily life and try what can happen when they are combined with sensors and the computation.
As makers of things your skills are always increasing with practice. As makers of ideas, this is also true. You will be expected to demonstrate your work flow and thought process. As you do this, reflect on your own path of decision making. Where do you begin? Where to go next? While there is no one way to do this, we recommend following this work flow as you develop your ideas
Document as you go:
Take pictures! Take video! Digitize your work. This is critical to retracing your steps, understanding how YOU work, and presenting your ideas clearly to the rest of the world.
mold making
projection mapping
welding
Sketches: Everyone can draw. It's a fact. You aren't expected to be da Vinci, but you are expected to understand what you're making, before you actually make it. Drawings can help create language between people and ideas.
Models: Models are an excellent way to quickly test looks, shapes, materials, weight and other design considerations related to ergonomics. It's the first version of your object in the real world and the digital world. At this stage you don't have to integrate all the right parts.
Prototypes: When you've got models you like, you can use it to make a prototype. Prototypes can be made with analog and digital tools. If you make separate models, your prototype should integrate them i.e. circuit board model + mechanical model + squishy material model = Squishy-Mechanical-Electronic prototype.
Technical Drawing: We will look at lots of ways to use images to demonstrate your work clearly. This can include "exploded" views, circuit diagrams/schematics, and digital renderings.
Animation or Video: Today a good video can make you a star overnight, it can help you raise money to fund your project, and it can tell the story of an interaction to audiences everywhere. If it moves, lights up, makes sound, whatever, a good video is crucial to spreading your ideas. We will workshop video making tips and tricks this semester.
All of your posts will end up under the main page of the blog: lab.Work.
They will appear first-come-first-served. There will probably be batches of posts under the same heading such as, "assignment1". But just in case, make sure the title of the post tells us what we're looking at. It may be "lookingOut1: Zack" or "finalProjectProposal: Dale" (if you're name happens to be Zack or Dale, that is).
There are lots of ways to change things like text. But remember, be brief. Text is like the elevator music of blogging. It shouldn't be the main focus and too much of it can wear you down.
In the end, be sure you hit the PUBLISH, or UPDATE button when you're ready to post, or make changes.
