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M.V.W Music and Visual Workstation

Nicola Carpeggiani

An audio workstation that allows the user to create music and sound related visuals.

http://www.nicolacarpeggiani.com

Description

For my final project, I decided to make music combining p5 coding and physical computing and creating a software/hardware controller that allows music producers as me, to create musical loops, play or mute them and add sound effects to them , as delay and reverb, to every single sound. The user can control the workstation by an Arduino based controller. In addiction, the projects allows the user to also create some music related visuals to be projected on a big white surface. Every single sound is represented separately on the screen and this represent the power of the project However, for this show, I would show my project on a quite big screen wired to my laptop and headphones, instead of using speakers and projector, to save space and allows the user to listen to the sounds clearly.

Classes

Introduction to Computational Media, Introduction to Physical Computing

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Soul Cycle

Serena M Parr

Intimate bicycle-powered worship experience for 1 user at a time, featuring choir/ambient music through headphones and pedal-powered electric candles, housed within a small simple wooden structure with fake stained glass windows made of tissue paper

http://serenaparr.com/itp/2015/12/08/wip-pcomp-final-project/

Description

Brief:
My project is a bicycle generator that runs a DC motor to power an apparatus of electric candles surrounding the stationary biker. It’s inspired by the religiosity of Soul Cycle. While powering candles, the user will also listen to choir music on headphones. The music won’t be powered by the bike, but by a battery powered boom box sitting inside of the bike’s front basket. The electric candles will be supported by a simple wooden frame made of 1″ x 2″ beams.

The piece requires at least 4′ x 7′ and would ideally be set up in a dark room.

Complete:
I’ve built the bike generator and have measured its output on a multimeter. The bike puts out 5V – 9V depending on pedal power. I’ve also rewired 20 electric candles to start. (I plan to rewire many more. Each candle is rated at 3V, so I will set them up in two-candle series circuits sharing 6V across however many parallel circuits.)

In progress:
I still need to build a simple wooden frame to support the candles surrounding the user, and build a few more safeguards to secure the bike trainer onto the platform so that it doesn’t move.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

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Morning Raaga

Dhruv Damle, Jennifer Kagan, Viniyata Pany

An exploration of smell and sound, our project encourages students of Indian classical music to practice singing by filling the room with a delicious smell when they hit the correct notes.

https://youtu.be/Al1Yf-fUVmo

Description

Most of us are accustomed to navigating the world using our eyeballs. If we think of the sense of sight as a muscle, we get regular, rigorous visual exercise as we stare into screens, navigate public spaces, and snap photos with our smart phones.

But what about our other senses?

This project came out of a desire to exercise and explore two of those underappreciated, underutilized senses: the sense of smell and the sense of sound.

As ITP alum Alex Kauffman wrote, “Smell is subjective, it’s ephemeral, and it’s not binary.” Interactions that involve smell are qualitatively different from interactions that involve our eyes.

Since much has been made of the relationship between smell and memory, as well as the relationship between smell and pleasure, we use scent as a positive feedback mechanis­m to encourage vocal students to practice singing.

Here's how it works:
1. Select the note you want to practice by touching one of the circles. You'll hear a recording of the selected note and a recording of the tanpura for you to sing along to.
2. Sing! As you sing into microphone, the device determines when your voice is within the frequency range for the note you selected. When you're within range, the device dispenses a delicious smell.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

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The Fort

Lindsey Johnson, Skylar A Jessen

A space to enable and capture human connection.

Description

An interactive installation that provides a space for two people to slow down and have a locked in connection with one another. Two friends, strangers, family members, people in love are invited to crawl into a “fort” made of stretched spandex. As they sit down the space becomes filled with color coming from projectors located outside of the structure. Users are invited to have a conversation. Through small webcams and microphones within the space, which are monitoring the emotional expression on their faces and the frequency and amplitude of their voices, the colors and light shift around them based off of the type of connection they are having. The goal is to mimic the moment and feelings associated with having a very present connection, where outside noise around you seems to disappear, and capture the unseen parts of connection that we throw at one another.

Classes

Introduction to Computational Media, Introduction to Physical Computing

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Interactive Origami Lighting

Mathura Govindarajan, Cristina Cannella

Interactive modular origami lights that responds to change in physical arrangement.

Description

The project involves a modular origami structure with lighting inside them. The origami model is designed such that its spatial arrangement can be changed by manually moving it. Each movement results in different 'circuits'. That is, a different arrangement leads to a different circuit connection which in turn changes the behaviour of the light inside the model. The main interaction is physical in the sense that it has to be handled and played with to see changed in the lighting.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing, Introduction to Physical Computing

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DOPPELCAM

Melanie Hoff

DOPPELCAM is a portal to a strangely familiar parallel universe. A machine for creating category shifts.

https://doppel.camera

Description

DOPPELCAM is a digital camera that only displays images ‘visually similar’ to those taken with it. It sends the source photo through an image-drop search engine and displays the top result.

Every two minutes, we take more pictures than the whole of humanity in the 1800s. Doppelcam operates within the photographic redundancy generated by this mass of photographic media.

Doppelcam refers back to previous iterations of photographic technology while subverting the art form’s intentions. It puts the mystery back into picture taking. Since the advent of digital cameras with preview screens, we’ve been able to see our photographs immediately after we take them.
No longer do you aim your lens and generally know what image you’ll get in return – it will be similar but not exact.

Classes

Introduction to Computational Media, Introduction to Physical Computing

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Stacklight

Ruta Kruliauskaite, Shir David, Xiwei Huang

Fun toy to introduce a three year old to the concepts of electronics.

Description

Stacklight is an educational toy for kids to introduce electronics in the appealing hands-on way.

The goal of the game is to introduce electronics through big objects, colors and shapes. We want to encourage kids to recognize patterns, organize and play by stacking the objects.

User age: ~3 year old.

How does Stacklight work? Each of the Stacklight pieces light up as the kids stack them.

The full brief can be found here: http://www.itpruta.com/pcomp-final-project-brief/

Stacklight presentation: http://itpruta.com/Stacklight.pdf

Full documentation: http://www.itpruta.com/category/pcomp/

Project members: Xiwei Huang, Shir David, Ruta Kruliauskaite.

Implemented in the Intro to Physical Computing Class by Benedetta Piantella.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

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Balans Mat

Jordan Frand

The Balans Mat is a yoga mat that gives you audio feedback to help you achieve a balance throughout your yoga practice.

https://vimeo.com/148053984?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=29220

Description

The Balans Mat is a yoga mat that gives you audio feedback to help you achieve balance throughout your yoga practice. Force sensors embedded in the mat send information about the distribution of your weight to a Max MSP program, which in turn adjusts the volume in the four speakers surrounding the mat. The force sensors are constructed from Velostat, a soft material which allows the mat to be rolled up, stored, and easily carried. The sensors are located in four quadrants of the mat so that, whether you're in a balancing posture, inversion, seated position, etc., at the front, middle, sides, or back of the mat, the speakers surrounding you will help you find your center and encourage you to stay there. The vestibular system is the strongest contributor to human balance and is located in the inner ear. It is for this reason that the Balans Mat uses audio-biofeedback instead of visual. This installation of the mat requires a MOTU Traveler and four speakers

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

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Skronkophone

Jared D Friedman

A new musical instrument made out of four walkmen and a broken guitar.

http://gemuse.org/

Description

The Skronkophone is an attempt to recycle old music technology into a new instrument. The user plays a guitar with no strings, just position sensors on the neck and force sensors on the body. The output is four modified walkmen and four modified sets of computer speakers. Each walkman is loaded with a cassette with a loop of tone corresponding to the “string” it is reproducing: E2, A2, D3, G3. The position of the player's finger on the “string” determines the speed of the walkman's motor – as the player moves his or her finger up the neck, the motor goes faster and the pitch of the note changes correspondingly. Then the FSR data is used to control the volume of the speakers – when the player is not pressing on a button, that string is silent, and the loudness can then be fairly accurately manipulated by pressing harder or softer. Additionally, switches on the headstock will allow the player to choose whether the output is chromatic (i.e. touching at or behind a fret will make the note associated with that fret) or not (so every tiny movement of a finger will make a tiny change).

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

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Semaphore Jacket

Zoe Bachman

A wearable that uses visual symbols and gesture to communicate peaceful messages and confront discrimination.<br />

http://www.zoebachman.net/itp/?p=351

Description

I’ve been thinking a lot about the current refugee crisis, specifically why many Americans see refugees as violent instead of peaceful. As someone who used to work with refugees, I know they struggle to disprove stereotypes, particularly since English isn’t their first language.

Many people are working to design solutions for the refugee crisis, so I thought, what could I create that would give refugees a way to communicate peace?

I started brainstorming a wearable, since clothes have a history of carrying messages. I thought about the different ways one could illustrate “we come in peace”, like the act of waving a white flag. Communicating with flags reminded me of semaphore, a maritime language used between ships, which seemed appropriate given that many refugees are traveling by boat. There’s a precedent of using semaphore to illustrate peace – the peace sign is actually the letters N and D (for nuclear disarmament) in a circle. Semaphore is also a programming term relating to access – quite appropriate, given the refusal of many Governor’s (including Larry Hogan of Maryland) to let refugees into a country.

The wearable is a rain jacket that has LEDs at the bottom of the sleeves that are programmed and arranged to look like flags. The user turns on the LEDs by closing a snap in the middle of the jacket.

Once the user is wearing the jacket, they’ll stand in front of a camera and perform a message using the semaphore alphabet. The images will be stitched together into a .gif and uploaded to the blog signsofsupport.tumblr.com as a record of their message.

For the show, a video tutorial on how to communicate with semaphore will be displayed to instruct users on how to communicate using the language. The collection of gifs created during the show will be displayed alongside.

Users can also take a print out that has information about the refugee crisis, the semaphore alphabet and the website where they can view their gifs and the rest taken at the show.

It should be said that this object is gesturing at these ideas rather than providing a solution. I’m interested in interrogating alternative forms of communication while using symbols related to this specific narrative, while bringing awareness to this very serious situation.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing