INDUSTRY: SAMSUNG TRANSPARENT LCD

In 2012, Samsung debuted a transparent LCD. Where typical LCDs use an artificial backlight to shine through their pixels, the transparent display uses the sun (and artificial edge-lighting at night). The display also includes a touchscreen component.

Samsung previewed their technology as a 1:1 desktop monitor replacement, but I see value in using the technology more inventively: as an augmented reality window, where the display builds upon what’s visible in the outside world.

ART: SONY PLAYSTATION VIDEO STORE

Memo Akten (who I just realized authored the ofxARDrone library I used in the last project) created a series of videos for the launch of the Sony PlayStation Video Store. The videos use a live projection-mapping technique where the content is mapped according to the perspective created by the camera’s position and angle in space.

If you look through a window at a nearby object, draw a circle around it, and then move your head, the circle is no longer in-place. With head- or eye-tracking, the perspective projection could change with your changing viewpoint, so that the circle will always be around the object.

ACADEMIA: MULTI-VIEW AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC 3D DISPLAYS

What happens if two (or more) people are looking out the window? A conventional display can’t show different images for each person. Alternatives to make that happen would be active- (or maybe even passive-, if you’re really good) shuttered glasses, as used with 3D TVs, or a lenticular display. A lenticular display is one that uses lenticular film — you know, these things:

This 1999 paper¹, by N.A. Dodgson, et al, in addition to his 2011 workshop, discusses a way to create a glasses-free 3D display using lenticular arrays. In addition to its 3D uses, such a display could also be used for “two-view, head-tracked displays; and multi-view displays”. They’re not talking about displaying unique perspectives per-viewer, but instead about delivering correct stereoscopic images to each eye of each viewer; my use should be much more simple.

OUTLET

I definitely want to try to get my project picked up by a media outlet — a technology/design blog, for example. A little boost of fame would be most appreciated. And, heck, if it turns out to be really cool, unique technology (which it might be — I’m not finding all that much in academia), maybe even a paper submission would be in order.

Date: July 2014

Project: Light House

Creator: SOFTlab

The purpose of this installation was to respond to real time sound input from equipment and live performances.  It was the intention of  SOFTlab to create an environment which visually displayed characteristics of music being played at SONOS.  This project engages music in a very unique way that goes beyond a visualizer.  The complexity of the patterns made by the lights and the depth of input make the installation very responsive.  The complexity of the display, and how it physically relates to the sound itself is great aspect to further investigate and think about going forward.

softlabnyc.com/light-house/

Date: 2012 

Project: VERSUS.

Creator: David Letellier

The purpose of this installation was to explore sound as a constantly evolving system.  The artist wanted to create a space that started with one sound, but built the ambient sound of the space on top of each subsequent recording.  One side will record the other, and then play it back for the opposing side.  This creates an ever evolving loop that includes all active participants and the space itself.  The idea that the character of a space can be displayed and collected in a compressed auditory manner is very intriguing.  The idea of creating opposing components that build on each other makes it a valuable piece to study.

david letellier: versus a kinetic sound sculpture

Date: August 2011

Project: Interactive Robot Painting Machine

Creator: Benjamin Grosser

This piece of interactive art turns sound into a visual painting.  It was the intention of the artist to expand the boundary of interaction between music and visual art.  This project uses genetic algorithms to process audio data into a painting style.  This style becomes a evolving guideline for the image output.  The robotic system uses a controlled paint brush on canvas to generate the visuals.  This project displays a very unique way of processing audio input into a framework of guidelines.  Studying this project may be helpful to clearly define a relationship between an input and output.

www.wgsn.com/blogs/homebuildlife/innovation-art-design-the-robot-painting-machine

Interactive Surfaces

Video (No embed-able version, sorry!)

In this project, Bruno Zamborlin, uses a microphone to detect when people are tapping an object. The interesting thing that Zamborlin is doing here is to make the device portable as well as customize the sounds the it creates. This, as demoed in the video, creates the impression that different surfaces or objects are different instruments.

Scubatone

This project brings an old technology into new use by using dual-tone multifrequency signaling to allow researchers to communicate under water. To me, this is an interesting project since it is sending the same message, but changing the medium of the message in between the recipients to break the problem of traditional sound not traveling well through the water.

Resonant Chamber

Resonant Chamber | Making from rvtr on Vimeo.

This project allows for the roof of the performance room to be changed to allow for optimal acoustics. While the initial version of the project is done via manual controls of the structure, they do plan to later add microphone input to make instant changes to the structure based on the music being played. The concept as presented shows how sound could effect space and make dynamically transform to a desired state.

Knock Knock
2012
Khalil Klouche
Project Link

Knock Knock @ HEAD media design from Khalil Klouche on Vimeo.

In this project, the creator aimed to create a product for children that would help them learn math, through interacting with the piece of wood through knocking. The project uses an Arduino board, contact microphones, solenoids, and some wood materials.  I find this project interesting from a UX perspective, as I do not immediately understand how it works. I would be interested to see if a child could pick it up and use it without any instructions. This project has a good, clean, stable video to show how it works, and this is something to learn from in the future. I could also learn about the knocks and how solenoids work. The creator could have explicitly stated how the device works in terms of how you should knock to produce a certain answer.

Pinikio
2012
Shanshan Zhou, Adam Ben-Dror and Joss Doggett
Project Link

Pinokio from adambd on Vimeo.

In this project, the creator aimed to create a lamp that seems like it has human-like playful qualities, somewhat akin to the Pixar Lamp.  hacked webcam, microphone, mechanical iris, 2 servos and halogen globe. A lot of the components were laser-cut.  I find this project interesting, as I am guessing that some machine learning was needed for the facial recognition aspect of the project, and I might need to incorporate some machine learning for my final project in the class. I think it is very interesting that the project takes an otherwise inanimate, everyday object, and makes it have personality. Although this may seem intrusive, this technique could be used to convey useful information in a way that is less obtrusive than adding another product to someones life.  I would have been interested to know what, if any, practical applications the creators saw for their product.

So..I was at a party last night
2011
Sabrina Mahfouz
Project Link

So.. I was at a party last night from Andrea Cuius on Vimeo.

In this project, the creator aimed to create a luminary experience for a performance that allows the audience to further immerse themselves into the show. The project uses tungsten lamps, a microphone to record the audio, and a program to process the music.  I find this project interesting because it is completely unobtrusive. From the video, it looks like the light seamlessly flows with the music, and that it enhances the experience that the user is already there to have. Using a microphone to enhance an already existing experience could be something to learn from for project 1. One thing the creator could have done better is to show more of how the lights were incorporated into the show, rather than just clips of the lights.

Electrical circuits are often messy. The artist creates a aesthetic 3D sculpture from functional electrical circuits connected to speakers. These sculptures are made interactive using piezo sensors, photo cells and microphones. The project consists of unique amalgamation of technology, form and sound.

Gallery is here

The website of the artist is here

plis/replis is an 2012 installation by CMU professor Ali Momeni and his collaborator Robin Meier. It consists of a giant (10 x 10 x 12 m) origami inspired and digitally fabricated structure suspended inside an underground cave. The structure serves as a large speaker inside the space. On the focal point of the structure, a glass platform holds a vessel of champagne. Inside this vessel, there is a microphone that captures the effervescent sounds of the champagne. These then are run through software that translates them into a sound environment which continually evolves in response to the effervescent activity. The folds in the structure serve as metaphor for the relationship between mind and matter. The project in part aims to amplify the metaphors and experience of champagne. I like this project in part because of how it transforms the space in which it is at taking advantage of the qualities of the space itself, the size and its relative isolation due to it being an underground cave. I also like Prof. Momeni’s sound projects as they make the small sounds that we don’t pay attention to, hypnotic and grand.

Tap Sense is a technology developed by CMU professor Chris Harrison (paper published UIST 2011). It allows touch screen devices to detect different types of touch through the help of the different sounds made when the finger touches the screen. Our fingers are extremely complex and functional, yet touch screens today interpret touch in a single way. Tap Sense takes the hardware that is in place and uses it to sense in a novel way, in particular, it uses sound to understand touch. The creative way of interpreting information is what is most appealing about this project to me. Taking existing stimuli from the world and interpreting in novel ways is something I want to borrow from this project.

Blinkdrink is a commercial product that uses the microphone in the smartphone to react to sound. It is made by Brad Simpson who is currently at IDEO. The way microphones are used is interesting to me because of the social aspect. If you are by yourself and you activate your Blinkdrink app with a glass on top of it, you will see how it responds to the sound, more interestingly to music. If you are with friends, and each friend has their glass on top of their phone, every phone responds differently (at least based on the project video). Then it becomes more of a game around arranging in different ways the sound.

Scanadu Scout™ – The first medical Tricorder

“The Power of Microphones as Medical Sensors”. Posted in Electronic Components by Brian Buntz on June 3, 2013
Credit of project to: John Stankovic, Shahriar Nirjon

This compact sized device is meant to measure vital signs to allow people to understand what their body is doing, comparable to what is measured while one is in the emergency room. It is less invasive than the traditional product. This product uses 32-bit RTOS Micrium platform, Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB Adaptor, Electrodes for an EKG that convert to FM sound signals and are sent to the built-in smartphone microphone. I find it interesting that amount of data that can be achieved in a short span of time, and I am interested in healthcare technology which this qualifies as. I can borrow the idea of compacting several elements to an object. The issues I have is that the data is only read for a short time not consistently and therefore not much can be determined from the data incorporated in the element.

The Dash — Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones

Created to: Bragi in Munich, Germany

These earbuds are meant to track your everyday performance which working out. This product uses an earbone microphone, bluetooth 4.0, 4 GB storage, 32-bit arm processor, digital signal processor, analog frontend with 22 bit ADC, passive noise isolation, audio transparency, and other sensors. The earbone microphone records your personal vocals which reducing the noise surrounding you. When you run you understand your vitals, and are able to block out noisy elements. The products allows one to workout without invasive wires or noise, and monitors your fitness. Im attracted to this project due to the healthcare wearables, and would borrow the idea of a sleek compact design and important of bluetooth. I find that the product would need to be more interactive to understand its true potential as it relies on the smart phone to convey information.

Metro Dot-Braille Bracelet for Independent Train Travel

SOS by David fried is series of kinetic sculptures / art installations. It represents how the universe is interconnected and different elements move in their own rhythm. The sculptures are activated by ambient sound. Every sphere is of different size to give “individual character” to the element. Spheres are carved out of solid rock, sand or made using synthetic polymers as explained by the artist.

Self Organizing Still-Life [sos] selected artwork remix from David Fried on Vimeo.

The technology is not explained, but my guess is microphones are used to detect the ambient sound and possibly magnets are used in the base of the installation to trigger the movement.
I find the installation quite organic and seamless. Even though technology is used, it is not to be seen or felt in any manner. The installation replicates the movements in the real world, metaphorically.

See the entire series here

Saying Things That Can’t Be Said by Daniel Sher and Ben Hagin is a series of projects that allows a long-distant couple to transfer messages to each other through physical senses.

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Blinkdrink is a simple iPhone application that makes a drinking experience much more interesting. It gathers ambient noise and conversations, where the information is visualized through the refraction of the glass and the liquid inside. All you need to do is turn on the app, use the phone as a coaster and enjoy the show.

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