Assignment: Midterm Project 1: Group project proposal

Collaborators:

Assignment:
Collaborators: nick, Seth Horrigan

Nick Rabinowitz
Xiaomeng Zhong
Seth Horrigan
23 September 2008

Project Proposal - Physical Pixels

Our project investigates the possibilities for tangible interaction with large-scale physical pixels to create images outside of a traditional computing environment. We imagine these pixels arrayed in a regular grid to form an interactive wall that could respond to human touch in a variety of ways, forming patterns that one or more users could control. The resulting installation piece would engage users in playful exploration, encouraging them to work together to create pleasing designs. It could also be a learning tool, fostering an understanding of patterns and the fundamentals of raster images.

Related Work

There has been a range of academic and commercial work in large-scale grid-based displays, and at least some academic work in individually manipulated networked pixels. Pending a thorough review of related literature and installations, our goal would be to explore as-yet-untried areas, especially in the type of pixel and the mode of interaction.

Pixel Options

Though most common pixel displays rely on light-based output, in theory a pixel could be any object with multiple visual states that could be controlled by a computer. Some of the options we’ve considered investigating include pistons or other mechanisms to change the topography of the wall; cut paper or other flat tiles that could be rotated independently on their axis to change their aspect; or even small items like cocktail umbrellas or novelty flowers that have open and closed states. In most of these cases, the pixels are not limited to a mere binary “on-off” state, but could present a continuum between lit and dark, open and closed, visible and invisible.

Interaction Options

The most straightforward interaction would be a user pressing on the wall to start a pixel reaction, such as a ripple effect outward from the point of contact. Other options we’ve considered include reactions to user motion, heat from a user’s touch, or light sensors to react to a user’s shadow. The effects of the users’ actions could be transient or persistent, or even vary between the two extremes based on the time and attention given to a single interaction. Furthermore, we could design the interactions to require collaborative action to accomplish interesting designs and tasks.

Our goal is to identify an interaction paradigm that encourages users to engage with the wall and with other users around them, inspiring a sense of playfulness and wonder. Though we feel such an installation could have educational aims, in our initial conception we are more interested in the ways a computer-driven interface can evoke the type of magic and fascination found in Carroll, Seuss, and Barrie.