This weeks workshop we were asked to make interactive chairs for the TEDx conference in Delft.
Laser cutting at Hyperbody in the faculty of architecture, for the fabrication of the interactive chairs.
Here we are printing the interface out-off MDF for the buttons which.
For the local TEDx Delft event [November 7, 2011], we were asked to transform a set of five bright red pieces of furniture into an interactive installation – the same pieces as used for earlier projects (see earlier posts). After a day of individual brainstorming during wich five concepts were developed and prototyped, all teams were combined to start working on a final design, suited for exhibition at TEDx.
Test Setup in helicopter view
This time playing around with our ‘Connecting People’ concept, we decided to add capacitive contact points to the red chair. Connecting two contact points will activate sounds, much like our earlier test prototype. We liked though how our MaxMSP simulation activated people to work together to create a cool sound; so what if the chair too activated people to work together creating cool sounds? We gave the chair 4 contact points that can be interconnected in any way (6 possibilities) and every connection activates a different layer of sound; inspired by incredibox. This way users will have to work together to hear all the layers, play with all the possibilities.
Check out our test version:
Trying to simulate our ‘Connecting People’ focus with MaxMSP we made a ‘Connecting Touchpads’ patch. The patch connects people through the touchpads on their laptops. When your finger moves around on the touchpad you will hear a sound as you get close to someone else’s finger (which is moving around on its own touchpad). Every connecting between two fingers has a distinctive sound. When all the fingers connect (in the video the fingers are represented by Pac-Man icons), the sounds will merge into a cool melody!
Max is a visual programming language for music and multimedia, this week we started working on our ecosystem in this platform.
The ecosystem was based on different relationships between the installations, our relationship with the ‘Inflatables’ was a humoristic behaviour. The humoristic behaviour was hard to simulate and define since we everyone has another sense for humor. Finally we decided to create a humoristic behaviour by sending signals of the triggered wires that could influence the sound output of the other installation. This may confuse the visitors or make the installation more fun.
The simulation of the installation its self was made out of a keyboard and touchpad. The keys on the keyboard were connected to wires, while pushing a wire the Max patch received a letter and the dots on the screen model colored red and send a signal to the ‘Inflatables’. The touchpad functioned as a motion detector, the dots on the screen model colored blue when it was activated. To simulate the motion of the visitor the screen was divided in 3 x 9 parts and each part was a coordinate (dot), since our goal include the direction of visitors it was interesting to detect and observe the motion.
In this workshop we were asked to transform an object in to an interactive object by the use of electronics and programming.
Basically our idea was as displayed below. Our chair is lonely and wants to attract people via sound. When you come near the chair we programmed via processing software that the chair starts making a mourning sound. When you come closer the sound gets more intense until you sit down on it, then the sound stops.
We figured, that when you sit down on a unknown object, one of the first things you do is feeling the surface and knocking to hear what kind of material it is or to found out whether the chair is solid or hallow. Based on this assumption we programmed that when you knock on the chair, a vibration sensors senses that you did and after a short delay it knocks back. In this way an interesting interaction is created because people are starting to find out how the knock works. Do i have to copy it? Does it copy me? Do i have to do anything else?
We had a lot of fun watching the reactions of our 2 visitors from ID studio labs. We found out that the vague knocking experience worked really well as a concept. Unless the fact that the sounds weren’t working exactly as we wanted, the concept was made clear.
In this workshop we were asked to make a network with the same objects used in the workshop before about transforming an object into a interactive object. The concept of directing people comes from the ecosystem concept in which we took place as a people divider.
Our idea is basically that when you come closer to our chair, you will be attracted by it via lights on top of the chair. When you sit down, the chair is checking for you if another object in the network is in need for users. If so, you will be directed to that object. The decision is made on base of the time the object was not active. The object that hasn’t been active for the longest amount of time will get ‘our’ person.
If no request has been found, the chair randomly decides were you need to go and points that out by a quadrant of the led circle lightened up and a EL wire which is mounted at the edge at the side of the chair. These lights keep blinking until you stand up.
After the presentation, we figured that you should get some sound feedback from the chair, so that is clearer what exactly is happening. The only point is that producing sounds via arduino software as proven to be quite a challange. First we are going to focus on next weeks workshop, were we will embed the light signals into the shapes of the chair.
Last week we were introduced to MaxMSP-software. This platform gives oppurtunities to create interactive media. Our ambition was to let an ecosystem emerge out of five patches we would make.
A relationship based on confusing collective behaviour with the installation of the “connectiongroup” was a way for us the disturb there sound. That means that if real public was interacting with both the installations, they would get confused and thereby acknowledge eachother. This may sound vague, but you can think of a power-out in your street: everyone will be confused and thereby you share the same feelings which lead to a sense of awareness of eachother.
With the whole group of five, we simulated a moving ceiling by measuring sound and showing a sideview in a LCD-screen within MaxMSP. We positioned the computers that would measure sound in four corners of a square, as if that would be the area under the ceiling. Soundlevels that were being measured got sended towards the computer which showed the amount of sound as a cone-ish form in the lcd, so that the four sensores would form four cones in a side-view.
As we would get peaks in the measured soundlevel, their harmonious would get distorted. And when the actors of their installation would get close to ours, then our installation would change color.
Pics of the max-patches after the jump.
When we were given the chair, we immediately started to roll it in order to find all the different positions. We wanted to use this in our design and give the users the ability to interact with the chair in a new way by exploring all the possibilities. However, we also wanted to people to be able to sit on the chair without being bothered. Because of this we decided on creating a soundscape, with the sound changing depending on the position of the chair. This would give both the option to sit on the chair and enjoy the music, but also give the option to influence the soundscape in a unique way.
Our group (Jonalt, Bouwe, Pim and Deniz) took a rather strange approach to modelling our part of the sphere. Starting with no theme or idea we got going once the first structural object in jonalt’s design was finished and improvised from there. Once connections between models were being made, a minor sub theme became apparent starting with Jonalt’s beautiful toilet which leads into a number of pipes that run through our models and into other groups. Below a small explanation of individual parts.
Bouwe: A pretty futuristic abstract model, that has no ambition of representing anything realistic. The model connects to Deniz via shperes in the lover part, to constantijn via pipes underneath, to jonalt by slotting into his girders an a fan which comes through his floor and to pim via another pipe. Lastly it also rests on Jeroens model slightly.
Jonalt. A model with more realism, depics a raised platform on construction girders. Other features are a toilet and a fan. jonalt connects with Jip, Samuel a., Jesse, Pim, and Bouwe. Jip with his pole structure to the construction beams. Samuel a. with a roofing segment. Jesse with a roofing structure and a ladder to the toilet, Pim with the toilet flushing system into Bouwe’s pipesystem. And lastly bouwe slots in with the girders.
Deniz: Another abstract model of spheres with protruding spikes. Some very intricate design features including numerous helixes are also present. The spheres are placed into Bouwe’s conic structures. There is also a connection with the turbine of Pim by the spiral wires.
Pim: Because pim’s model was positioned very poorly in the sphere he decided to model an open space which leads into a number of shapes. and helixes which are fixed to other models. It connects with Deniz, Bouwe and Jonalt through the turbine (as to pass on the stuff thrown into the toilet) and with Sabrina through the helixes below.