Super Cilia Skin

Super Cilia Skin is a tactile and visual system inspired by the beauty of grass blowing in the wind. It consists of an array of computer-controlled actuators (cilia) that are anchored to an elastic membrane. These actuators represent information by changing their physical orientation. The current prototype of Super Cilia Skin developed by MIT’s Tangible Interfaces functions as an output device capable of visual and tactile expression.

Most existing computational tools rely on visual output devices. While such devices are invaluable, influential studies in neurophysiology have shown that physical experience creates especially strong neural pathways in the brain. When people participate in tactile/kinesthetic activity, the two hemispheres of the brain are simultaneously engaged. This type of learning experience helps assure that new information will be retained in long-term memory.

Super Cilia Skin is essentially a tactile and visual system. Its ability to replay dynamic gestures over time and to communicate remote gestures makes it a potentially valuable tool for education and haptic communication. The Tangible Interfaces team envisions Super Cilia Skin as an I/O membrane with a variety of applications in education and haptic communication.

On an architectural scale, a facade covered with Super Cilia Skin could represent the “wake” of a local wind pattern billowing up and down the surface during the day generating energy. As a more general display surface, a Super Cilia Skinned floor could trace movement over one’s house or weather patterns over the entire state of Massachusetts. This sensibility is intended to pervade a sense of relationships between local and global conditions.

Contact: MIT Tangible Interfaces, Boston, MA.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.