Category: research and technology.

  • 22JunPlay-it-by-eye! Collect movies and improvise perspectives with tangible video objects

    My journal paper Play-it-by-eye! Collect movies and improvise perspectives with tangible video objects is now published at Cambridge University Press!

    The paper in .pdf ->here<-

    We present an alternative video-making framework for children with tools that integrate video capture with movie production. We propose different forms of interaction with physical artifacts to capture storytelling. Play interactions as input to video editing systems assuage the interface complexities of film construction in commercial software. We aim to motivate young users in telling their stories, extracting meaning from their experiences by capturing supporting video to accompany their stories, and driving reflection on the outcomes of their movies. We report on our design process over the course of four research projects that span from a graphical user interface to a physical instantiation of video. We interface the digital and physical realms using tangible metaphors for digital data, providing a spontaneous and collaborative approach to video composition. We evaluate our systems during observations with 4- to 14-year-old users and analyze their different approaches to capturing, collecting, editing, and performing visual and sound clips.


  • 14JanStructural innovation

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    Re-designing acoustic musical instrument according to the abilities and characteristics of rapid prototype materials

    After laser printing on bread, one can print instruments! My friend Amit Zoran designed this really neat concept of an acoustic guitar sound box that has been given a unique sound and behavior through a CAD/CAM process. His research goal at the MIT Media Laboratory in the Ambient Intelligence research group, is to find and analyze a space for structural innovation, especially for acoustic instruments.

    His works enables players to customize their own sound by assembling different sound cells, e.g physical parts of the instruments designed in CAD/CAM, instead of considering the instrument as one big sound box. Each string can have its own bridge and each bridge can be linked to different cells. By changing a cell’ size, material or structure, one can create customizable sounds.

    His innovative take mainly consists of printing, using a 3D printer, cells drawn into a vectorial software. These cells, made of 30cm radius, have a variety of materials strong enough to carry the pressure of the strings and handle resonance.

    People can download recommended sound cells from the internet in order to change or manipulate their guitar sounds.

    In the near future, Amit is planning on testing the physical behavior of different combinations and to find optimal structures.

    Don’t forget to check the video!

    Posted by Cati Vaucelle

    Architectradure


  • 08Junwireless power transfer

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    In last few years, our society experienced a silent, but quite dramatic, revolution in terms of the number of autonomous electronic devices (e.g. laptops, palm pilots, digatal cameras, household robots, etc.) that we use in our everyday lives. Currently, most of these devices are powered by batteries, which need to be recharged very often.

    This fact motivated us to think whether there exist physical principles that could enable wireless powering of these and similar devices. Results of our research on the feasibility of using resonant objects, strongly coupled through the tails of their non-radiative modes, for mid-range (i.e. a few meters: e.g. within a room, or a factory pavillion) wireless power transfer applications seem to be quite encouraging.

    Research by Marin Soljai at MIT

    A recent article mentions his work on “how to wirelessly illuminate an unplugged light bulb from seven feet away” which reminds me of the beautiful wireless lightbulb of Jeff Lieberman.

  • 21AugBlow and light!

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    Wind to light: when the wind blows, the turbines produce light. Sweet!


  • 21AugBlow and light!

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    Wind to light: when the wind blows, the turbines produce light. Sweet!


  • 21SepAmbient clock for elders

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    At Interact 2007, I discovered the work of Yann Riche and Wendy Mackay.

    He presented the MarkerClock, an ambient clock for elders.

    Pdf of the paper.

    Seniors support one another through routines and through shared awareness. The MarkerClock facilitates the sharing and awareness of routines among elders. Built upon seniors’ stories of their daily life, it invites for reciprocal care behaviors.

    The clock appears as ambient and non intrusive by giving symbolic graphical information on the user’s activity. For instance, if Beatrice goes to the market in the morning, this information is coordinated with the clock and displayed graphically as “absent”. Because her friend knows she is at the market, it appears as normal.



    Examples of a) users’ codes, b) user’s motion trace

    During user observations, an elder explained that she sends a signal by ringing 3 times the phone of her friend so that her friend can assess that she is all right. Users originally invented strategies, such as this code, to be aware of each other’s lives. The design rationale integrates these findings into the augmented clock. It embeds active and passive communication and do so by simply detecting the user’s motions in front of it, directly measuring the senior’s activity.


  • 21SepAmbient clock for elders

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    At Interact 2007, I discovered the work of Yann Riche and Wendy Mackay.

    He presented the MarkerClock, an ambient clock for elders.

    Pdf of the paper.

    Seniors support one another through routines and through shared awareness. The MarkerClock facilitates the sharing and awareness of routines among elders. Built upon seniors’ stories of their daily life, it invites for reciprocal care behaviors.

    The clock appears as ambient and non intrusive by giving symbolic graphical information on the user’s activity. For instance, if Beatrice goes to the market in the morning, this information is coordinated with the clock and displayed graphically as “absent”. Because her friend knows she is at the market, it appears as normal.



    Examples of a) users’ codes, b) user’s motion trace

    During user observations, an elder explained that she sends a signal by ringing 3 times the phone of her friend so that her friend can assess that she is all right. Users originally invented strategies, such as this code, to be aware of each other’s lives. The design rationale integrates these findings into the augmented clock. It embeds active and passive communication and do so by simply detecting the user’s motions in front of it, directly measuring the senior’s activity.


  • 29SepMiniature motion controller

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    A Miniature One-Handed 3D Motion Controller by Kynan Eng that I saw at Interact 2007.

    Abstract Users of three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) and
    gaming applications need to manipulate virtual objects in up to six degrees of
    rotational and translation freedom (DOF). To date, no 3D controller provides
    one-handed 6DOF input with miniature size and low cost. This paper presents
    a prototype of the first one-handed 6DOF motion controller suitable for use in
    portable platforms such as laptop computers, mobile telephones and hand-held
    game consoles. It is based on an optical sensor combined with novel planar
    spring mechanics, and can be easily manufactured using low-cost materials and
    processes.

    Miniature motion controller

    Paper

  • 01OctLifestyle in 2057

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    2057 EP1 The Body featured on Discovery Channel offers mixed information between current research explorations and fictional scenarios of our lifestyle in 2057.

    It is a nice effort in considering what is being done in HCI and medical research which converges into everyday scenarios. Under its over dramatic tone, the examples are sometimes tacky and stereotypical. The show could have incorporated other important issues such as affordable cutting edge technological solutions for the rest of world.

    This video is fun and accessible. I loved the transplantation of a human heart, heart that can be 3d printed! Presenting a vision for a future lifestyle, this video reminds me of the American Look (1958): America lifestyle in the 50’s with its *idealistic* sense for design.


  • 14JanStructural innovation

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!





    Re-designing acoustic musical instrument according to the abilities and characteristics of rapid prototype materials

    After laser printing on bread, one can print instruments! My friend Amit Zoran designed this really neat concept of an acoustic guitar sound box that has been given a unique sound and behavior through a CAD/CAM process. His research goal at the MIT Media Laboratory in the Ambient Intelligence research group, is to find and analyze a space for structural innovation, especially for acoustic instruments.

    His works enables players to customize their own sound by assembling different sound cells, e.g physical parts of the instruments designed in CAD/CAM, instead of considering the instrument as one big sound box. Each string can have its own bridge and each bridge can be linked to different cells. By changing a cell’ size, material or structure, one can create customizable sounds.

    His innovative take mainly consists of printing, using a 3D printer, cells drawn into a vectorial software. These cells, made of 30cm radius, have a variety of materials strong enough to carry the pressure of the strings and handle resonance.

    People can download recommended sound cells from the internet in order to change or manipulate their guitar sounds.

    In the near future, Amit is planning on testing the physical behavior of different combinations and to find optimal structures.

    Don’t forget to check the video!

    Posted by Cati Vaucelle

    Architectradure