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Audiopad is
a composition and performance instrument for electronic music, which
tracks the positions of objects on a tabletop surface and converts
their motion into music. One can pull sounds from a giant set of samples,
juxtapose archived recordings against warm synthetic melodies, cut
between drum loops to create new beats, and apply digital processing
all at the same time on the same table. Audiopad not only allows for
spontaneous reinterpretation of musical compositions, but also creates
a visual and tactile dialogue between itself, the performer, and the
audience. Audiopad has a matrix of antenna elements that track the
positions of electronically tagged objects on a tabletop surface. Software
translates the position information into music and graphical feedback
on the tabletop. Each object represents either a musical track or a
microphone. Sound by Ben Recht.
Best in Show, Best Interactivity, 2004 Designing Interactive Systems Competition Honorable Mention, ID Magazine 2004 student design review Bronze award, 2004 Industrial Design Excellence Awards, Industrial Design Society of America. |
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The Corporate Fallout Detector is an ethical shopping aid, designed to resemble a cold-war era geiger counter. It scans barcodes off of consumer products, and gives sound feedback according to the ethical or environmental record of the manufacturer. Exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art's 2005 design exhibition SAFE: Design Takes on Risk Honorable Mention, transmediale.05 Festival for Art and Digital Culture |
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Drift is an interactive public display wall. As people move by the screen, the text floats as if moved by a breeze. Drift was conceived as part of our winning entry to the Kendall Square Interactive Media Design Competition. Pedestrians could move their bodies to browse through messages from an online community message board. Drift was also used at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture to introduce a series of architecture projects by MIT's Senseable Cities group. |
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The Zaragoza bus stop presents a new perspective on the future of urban public transportation. A large touch sensitive screen shows a map of Zaragoza and a community bulletin board space. People waiting at the bus stop can touch a location on the map to get directions to that place. These directions are updated based on the real-time positions of busses in the network, and can be sent to a rider's phone via SMS. One can also use SMS to post messages to the bulletin board space. By moving one's hands along the surface of the screen, one can draw pictures, scribble messages, and moderate the postings of others. Patten Studio designed and implemented the graphics, interaction, software and touch tracking system for the bus stop prototype, which was exhibited at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. Architectural design by MIT Senseable City lab. |
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PICO is a tabletop interaction surface that can track and move small objects on top of it. It has been used for complex spatial layout problems such as cellular telephone tower layout. The interface provides ample opportunities for improvisation by allowing the user to employ a rich variety of everyday physical objects as interface elements. Portions of electronics design by Jason Alonso. |
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The MiTree concept consists of two interactive sculptures situated in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both trees sense the sound and movements present in their environments, and process them to create melodic visual and aural displays. The "Air Tree" is inspired by the notion of the "whisper chamber" which carries sound between distant points. Instead of carrying sound across distance the Air Tree carries sound across time, releasing a series of melodic tones generated from previous sounds it has heard. The "Light Tree" is a visual message board. The motions of passers-by cause text on its display to flutter away as if caught in a breeze. In collaboration with OJ Studio. |
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Sensetable is a development platform for tabletop interactive systems. The movements of objects on the table are tracked with a circuit built into the tabletop surface, and graphics are in turn projected back onto the tabletop. The Sensetable has been used for applications ranging from computer network optimization, to supply chain visualization, to musical performance. Portions of software by Jason Alonso. |