‘Touch’ is a project by the Belgian digital design and art lab, LAb[au], Laboratory for Architecture and Urbanism. The project takes as a starting point Brussels’ 145 m high Dexia Tower, from which 4200 windows can be individually colour-enlightened, by RGB-led bars, turning the façade into an immense display.
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Instead of considering this infrastructure as a flat screen (surface) displaying pre-rendered video loops, the project is working on the architectural characteristics of the tower and its urban context. The characteristics of the building; orientation, volume, scale… are used as parameters to set up a spatial, temporal and luminous concept, which moreover allows people to directly interact with the tower.

On Place Rogier, at the bottom of the tower, a station is mounted where people can interact either individually or collectively with the visual and luminous display (= the tower) through a multi touch screen. Both static (touch) as dynamic input (gesture) is recognized to generate an elementary graphical language of points, lines and surfaces combined with physical behaviours (growth, weight, …) taking a monochromatic colour palette (background) combined with black and white (graphical elements).

Once a composition is created, it can be sent as an electronic postcard with a snapshot from the tower, taken from a distant location. It is also uploaded on the specific project website ( www.dexia-tower.com ) where people can retrieve their postcard, as electronic and printable format, with Christmas and New Year’s wishes from Brussels. Artists: LAB[au] – Architects: Philippe Samyn & Partners, M & J.M. Jaspers – J. Eyers & Partners – Lightning engineer: Barbara Hediger

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The users can alter the form of the landscape model by manipulating sand while seeing the resultant effects of computational analysis generated and projected on the surface of sand in real-time. The project demonstrates an alternative form of computer interface (tangible user interface) that takes advantage of our natural ability to understand and manipulate physical forms while still harnessing the power of computational simulation to help in our understanding of a model representation. via WMMNA

Super Cilia Skin by  Hayes Raffle, Mitchell Joachim, & James Tichenor is a tactile and visual system consisting of an array of actuators that are anchored to an elastic membrane. These actuators represent information by changing their physical orientation. See Paper

Each actuator is a felt-tipped rod with a magnet at it’s base. The rods are anchored to a silicone membrane with two plastic nuts. These actuators oscillate in response to a magnetic force below the surface of Super Cilia Skin. This force alters the angle of the actuators on the upper surface. The prototype of Super Cilia Skin was designed to be operated by the Actuated Workbench which uses a computer to control an array of 128 electromagnets, smoothly moving magnetic objects on its surface.

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Applied on an architectural scale, Super Cilia Skin would act as a display surface reflecting changes in local or global conditions. On a smaller scale, an object surrounded by Super Cilia Skin might propel itself across the floor or be able to propel objects across its surface.  via Karen at Mr. Watson

As you may have seen there’s a tutorials page attached to the blog which I’ve had online as long as the blog has been running. I’ve been meaning to build up a tutorials section of links to other websites and books about physical computing, hacking appropriated technology etc but just haven’t got around to doing so. Its mainly aimed at students interested in interactive installations and devices of any kind for the time being. I get quite a few emails from architecture, design and art students asking about learning how to use basic electronics and programming etc so I’ve added a few essential links in the last couple of days but would really like to make it a more comprehensive resource. Have you got any suggestions? I will of course credit those who pass on their suggestions so please leave your name and website if you’ve got one.

Thanks so much and hopefully I may see some of you at transmediale in Berlin which is where I’m off on a holiday for a week starting tomorrow. Hurrah!

image from the excellent ‘low-tech sensors and actuators project’ by Usman Haque and Adam Somlai-Fischer

In each of the two cities Linz and Budapest a foot bridge made of wooden planks are installed. If someone steps on a plank in one of the cities, an impulse released from the body weight is immediately sent to the other bridge. So a pulse can be felt in the other city, as the parallel plank lifts itself around 1 cm which releases a pounding noise. One can feel realistically the footsteps of strangers in a foreign city.

HMC MediaLab’s Adam Montandon came over to me at the end of the submerge exhibition in June and asked me about my flexible wall skin I used for my Project Reciprocal Space. A few months later to create this fantastic project he used the same material to make an interactive surface that you can actually penetrate beyond a flat surface into virtual space made tactile and interactive.

“You really feel like you are going “through” the screen. ”

“HMC MediaLab designed the hyperfabric after working with large scale touchscreens and touchtables. The team found that whilst they were very effective at controlling computers, they just didn’t “feel” touchable. HMC MediaLab wanted to create something that you could really engage with, so it’s perfect for adults and children of all ages and abilities. ”

The RemoteHome is a flat share that will exist in two distant cities at the same time: London and Berlin. Both spaces are electronically connected through the Internet, to turn furniture and architectural elements into tangible and sensual means of communication. Sensory and kinetic devices, as well as an interactive light installation allow for the exchange between this remotely living group of friends. A mobile wireless artefact, in the shape of a transforming interactive bag, can be taken on journeys to stay emotionally in touch with the RemoteHome.

RemoteHome was last exhibited at the Science Museum London + Raumlabor Berlin May 2003

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