Transmaterial » interactive

Flight Assembled Architecture

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:00:33 +0000

Flight Assembled Architecture is a demonstration project that exhibits research conducted on flying machine enabled construction by ETH Zürich professor Raffaello D’Andrea and architects Gramazio & Kohler. The first installation to be built by flying machines, Flight Assembled Architecture utilizes software-controlled flying robots to place foam bricks individually in order to construct a large open-weave structure. Imagined as a scale representation of a 600 m tall towering city, the installation “addresses radical new ways of thinking and materializing architecture as a physical process of dynamic formation,” says D’Andrea.

Contact: ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.

Liquid Display

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:00:12 +0000

The Liquid Display is an ambient display comprised by a screen filled with liquid and programmed air bubbles. Developed by Nicolas Büchi, the interface consists of multiple water or water-based emulsion filled cubes. The Liquid Display is intended to convey information discretely—approaching the limits of perception—rather than the increasingly saturated information exhibited by contemporary display technologies.

Contact: Nicolas Büchi, Basel, Switzerland.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Dynamic Performance of Nature

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:00:51 +0000

Situated sensing technologies have created unprecedented ways with which to achieve a new synchronous relationship with the world. According to Portland-based design practice SoftRigid, the ability to observe the behavior of our environment through an orchestration of high-tech sensing devices displayed through dynamic architectural interfaces will enable a new form of environmental perception. SoftRigid’s installation Dynamic Performance of Nature embodies this ethos by utilizing an array of locally- and globally-distributed open-source environmental sensing devices integrated with a dynamic and communicative material assembly.

The project captures live data about weather such as wind speed and direction, temperature and relative humidity, and other measurable environmental phenomena such as seismic activity, from around the world and translates it through full-color LED lighting embedded within semi-translucent HDPE. The installation communicates this information to museum visitors via custom processing scripts that display the information in illuminated flows of varying color, intensity, and direction which respond to the unique geometry of the wall’s overall form. According to the manufacturer, the assembly is designed to create an inspiring and informative user experience that imparts to its visitors this ethos of 21st century sustainability, seeking to transcend conventional applications of green techniques with something alive and integrated with the environment, connecting people to place through a synthesis of information, material, and architecture.

Contact: SoftRigid, Portland, OR, USA.

Wind 3.0

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:00:05 +0000

Wind 3.0 is an interactive wall feature comprised by hundreds of fibers which respond to a viewer’s presence based on a connection between electronic sensors and ventilators. Wind 3.0 moves with the viewer—when there is a lot of activity the wall makes large fluid motions, while in other circumstances the fiber animation resembles a soft breeze. In this way, a direct relationship is made between human behavior and sculptural dynamics. Developed by Netherlands-based Studio Roosegaarde, Wind 3.0 plays with the similarities and differences between nature and technology.

Contact: Studio Roosegaarde, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Media Cubes

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:00:40 +0000

Media Cubes invite tangible interaction to control media. Unlike conventional remote devices, this system consists of two cubes made out of wood. The system can track the orientation and rotation of the objects in order to relay particular commands. The user controls a particular function by orienting its symbol up, then rotating the cube to adjust the function—such as changing the volume level or scrolling through a song list.

The technology inside the cube is fairly simple. Gyroscopic and accelerometer sensors detect movement with a high level of accuracy. The signal is then sent via radio technology the same way a wireless mouse works. The cubes are charged with contactless induction technology, and there is no need for a power input. In this way, the Media Cubes demonstrate the unexpected integration of technological controls with a more intuitive, tactile interface.

Contact: Mattias Andersson, Johanneshov, Sweden.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

ARTHUR

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:19:51 +0000

Augmented Round Table for ArcHitecture and URban Planning (ARTHUR) is a collaboration environment based on Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Developed by Dr. Wolfgang Broll at the Fraunhofer Institute, ARTHUR augments the exchange of information possible at a conventional conference table with virtual models of houses, cityscapes, or specific architectural components and details. Appropriate 3D objects are projected into the space above the table and viewed through stereoscopic head-mounted semitransparent displays. Geometrically registered to their environment, the objects behave similar to real objects and allow the users to examine them from any location. In contrast to real objects, the virtual objects can easily be modified using intuitive manipulation techniques, such as voice commands, tangible objects on the table, gestures, and gazebased interaction. In this way, different planning alternatives and proposed modifications become visible immediately, accelerating the overall planning and reviewing process.

ARTHUR can support architects throughout an entire project, from early sketches, to design and review meetings, through to presentations of the final results to clients. The ARTHUR system has already successfully been integrated with the Microstation CAD system (integration with other environments upon request).

Contact: Fraunhofer IT, Sankt Augustin, Germany.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.

InterWall

Blaine Brownell — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:00:21 +0000

Teams need team computers: until now, working with a personal computer has only been possible for individuals. With the InterWall, it is possible to use a digital environment for teamwork, presentations, and conferences. Presentations and graphics in any required file format are projected onto the InterWall, which is a holographic glass surface. In this way, the product only becomes a display surface when it is in use; otherwise it is completely transparent. The mobile frame also allows flexible and fast application in different situations: as an electronic white board, a flip chart, a pin board, or a presentation and interaction surface for trade fairs and reception areas.

The InterWall is designed to increase work effectiveness within a given space. It allows the elimination of media and process discontinuity between individual work and teamwork, as well as the networking of work groups at different locations, which can lead to considerable time and cost savings.

Contact: Foresee, Bad Münder, Germany.
Find more information in Transmaterial.

Sensacell

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:00:19 +0000

The Sensacell system transforms architectural surfaces into dynamic interactive experiences. Sensacell capacitive proximity sensors detect people and objects on the other side of barriers up to 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) thick, creating a three-dimensional, multitouch sensing zone above the surface. Additionally, the integrated full-color LED lighting array creates stunning interactive graphics, video, and ambient illumination. The plug-and-play system is based on 6 inch (15.2 centimeter) square modules that can be embedded into surfaces of any size or shape, allowing total design flexibility.

Sensacell arrays can be interfaced with other systems to control sound, light, video, HVAC, and alarm systems via RS232, MIDI, DMX, and TCP-IP. The Sensacell Sensa Tools software allows for the rapid development of customized programs to control various building systems or trigger particular environmental effects.

Contact: Sensacell Inc., Brooklyn, NY, USA.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.

ERCO Virtual Luminaires

Blaine Brownell — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:00:40 +0000

ERCO virtual luminaires are digital fixtures that accurately predict how their real counterparts will behave. Architecture begins in the mind. The progress from concept to reality takes time and can require considerable persuasion. In this regard, implementing architectural design is largely a matter of communication. As spatial perception is entirely visual, computer generated visualizations have rapidly gained a permanent place in the process of architectural design. Just as in real architecture, virtual architecture only comes to life with light.

Therefore, every ERCO luminaire has a virtual “twin” in the form of digital luminaire data, which can be downloaded from the web site and inserted directly into lighting simulation and visualization software to enable physically accurate studies, visualizations, and analyses with photographic-quality.

Contact: ERCO, Lüdenscheid, Germany.
Find more information in Transmaterial.

InteracTable

Blaine Brownell — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:24:24 +0000

Andreas Störiko designed the InteracTable in order to answer questions regarding the nature of work in the new millennium: Why does an increasing rate of media discontinuity block our thinking although it is the digital age? What should furniture that allows teamwork on the computer look like? What would a digital work environment that actually encourages creativity look like?

The InteracTable is a high table with a large-format, interactive screen integrated into the top surface, which serves as a shared working platform for project groups. The InteracTable combines high technology with familiar work practices; it is operated by a pen or a finger instead of a keyboard or mouse.

The design as a “normal” high table creates a familiar atmosphere for discussions and allows natural integration within seminar and conference spaces. Most importantly, the InteracTable provides a meeting place in an infomal atmosphere for all those involved in a project. Such a work environment promotes creativity and innovation and supports shared processing of complex information structures such as project plans and engineering drawings.

Contact: Foresee, Bad Münder, Germany.
Find more information in Transmaterial.