Peanut Butter + Jelly

Description
LetterRun is a marble-run like toy that combines physical computing, education, and physics (gravity). It can be played on any magnetic surface. Children combine blocks together and spell words. When they throw a metal ball through the conduits on the blocks, words light up based on the movement of the ball.

Purpose
We were interested in the concept of a building block that would be more than a simple construction element. By combining an existing toy (marble run) with an educational purpose (spelling), we came up with LetterRun. Early on we explored using blocks to teach language, music, and spelling. We found the letter idea to be most successful because we were able to construct each block as its own object.

Implementation
Each block is made out of wood and simple electronics (wires, battery, and an LED ). There are no IC's required, though in the future we might consider only lighting up actual words, which would require using a micro-controller for each cube. Each block is a modular object. When you combine them (through exposed pins), they can light up as a whole.

Video
Toy testing video can be found here.

Posted by ben chao at 02:58 PM | Permalink

Members
Stefan Hechenberger
Ben Chao

Description
Mtrail is an abient light installation. Multiple of these light fixtures are attached to any flat surface of your choice. They track the motion of shadows along one axis. As people move by, the slightest change in ambient light results in a fading glow that follows the edges of their shadows. The firmware is smart enough to adjust to almost any kind of light intensity.

Purpose
Computer based installations are often reliant on complicated hardware and software setups. Sometimes the initial installation is the only time the piece comes together because of its complexity. By designing the piece around cheap embedded hardware, we attempted to make a self-contained object. As such the tangible interface, the hardware, and the software is always one piece. Simply turning on the power makes it run.

We were particularly interested in this atomic quality. The light fixtures are solid pieces. They are self-contained to a degree that they run as long as the battery lasts. They contain their own charging circuit and can be charged from any USB port. Also mounting does not require any external parts. Four built-in magnets allows the unit to mount on any magnetic material.

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Posted by ben chao at 03:06 AM | Permalink