A machine that creates a navigable virtual soundscape from peoples voices and other sources.

https://

Description

What if the way graffiti expresses ideas could be translated to sound? Our project aims at creating a medium where people can shout, rant, open up, tell jokes or simply leave a message. All of that is placed inside a virtual soundscape where each sound is assigned a coordinate in a X Y plane. Then you can hop in and navigate that communal soundscape with the aid of sensors !

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. Gen 1:9

https://

Description

Many time we are left wishing we could create and move the earth and heavens like God. After all, we are made in his image. Let us now partake in heavenly and earthly communion. This is a project that uses sound waves to move sand.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

Accumulation Study is a sculptural study in which a robotic arm gathers material towards itself. The piece was made to perform an automated mode of production, specifically the accumulation process involved in predictive machine learning models. The form was adapted from an open-source Mime Industries .svg file, and has been influenced by the work of Anicka Yi and Lee Bul.

http://www.hannahtardie.com/a-machine/

Description

This project concept came out of an interest in machine learning. I have found that while predictive machine learning models can be used to generate eerily accurate pattern predictions, they more interestingly obfuscate any semblance to the users from which the data was pulled, resulting in a hyper-specific set of characteristics about multiple people that will never be made visible, human, or intelligible to those receiving its predictions. This sculpture incorporates transparent, imperfectly shaped cubes. Each cube can be thought of as a complex set of data. The sculpture performs an abstraction process similar to that of machine learning, although it doesn’t generate any predictions and it doesn’t “learn.” Instead, it offers a collective, portrait of many different cubes– once visible and now only partially recognizable when in the greater structure–that resembles the abstraction process central to machine learning. The sculpture will demonstrate a “plurality” of portraits in a similar way that machine learning offers. I am inspired by the work of Anicka Yi and Brian House.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

A mysterious machine full of dials, knobs and controls needs to be unlocked to save the world from digital doom. Are you up for the challenge?

https://www.aboltaabol.me/blog/?tag=Finals

Description

We're building a console that's 2'6″ x 1' 5″ and covering it with buttons, dials, dial gauges, sliders, and bulbs. There will be an ipad masked as an older display screen (under a fresnel lens) and an LED display which give you clues and prompts to a series of puzzles. The goal of the puzzles is to unlock a portion of the console that will “prevent a disastrous computer virus from being released to every computer in the world!”.

The puzzles begin easy and gradually increase in difficulty. Only if you solve all the puzzles do you get the glory of “saving the world.”

*please note, we currently have a staging area under the table outside of the conference room.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

Bleeding the physical and the digital world together with an iconic folding fan.

https://

Description

Tokyo, Japan

As I was waiting for the train on a hot summer day, I see a business man pull out a discreetly crafted, folding fan. After stepping into the subway, he placed it in his front blazer pocket as the air conditioning took over. This memory is tied to a country where I let my happiness thrive in the face of unfamiliarity.

The allure is finding a purpose in it all. When time is spent questioning what someone wants to do, the physical world starts to peel back little by little like the folds of a fan ¬¬¬–Tucked out of view but not forgotten.

The fan’s projection evokes what it feels like to open yourself to the world. This incorporates depth and brings another dimension. Showing one wave made from a fan has ripples of effects even if it is not in the physical world.

Classes

Introduction to Computational Media, Introduction to Physical Computing

‘Find Your Flow’ is a touch sensitive interactive installation that asks you to feel every pixel of its sequin surface and follow its vibration patterns until you ‘Find Your Flow’.

https://hellonun.blog/2018/12/05/find-your-flow/

Description

Our physical movement and sense of touch are a large part of our everyday perception, yet we only passively pay attention to them. By tuning into our senses, we become more perceptive of ourselves and our surroundings, and are more able to enjoy the nuances around us.

‘Find Your Flow’ is a touch sensitive interactive installation that asks you to tune into your sense of touch and movement, feel every pixel of its sequin surface and follow its vibration patterns until you ‘Find Your Flow’.

The installation tracks your movement i.e. your position and speed using a grid of FSR sensors; when you move at the right pace and in the right position for a certain period of time, the vibration stops, and the installation lets you continue on by yourself.

Mechanism: grid of 16 FSR sensors and 16 vibration motors

Material and size: sequin on soft pillow (80 sq.cm. wide, 15cm. high)

Additional elements: small LCD display displaying the status and direction for the installation

Keywords: touch sensitive, vibration, sequin, pixels, slow motion, movement, soft touch

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

Compose different music arrangements with and old-school computer and punch cards

https://www.davidazar.mx/blog/the-music-box

Description

The Music Box is a project about music and abstract tangible interaction.

Technology has moved into a 2D space filled with screens. Sure, VR and AR are making an effort to make hybrid spaces between the physical and digital world, but screen of some sort is needed.

I am offering an exploration on music arrangement, inspired by old-school computing elements and based heavily on tangible interaction.

There are 15 different punch cards that users can insert in one of 12 slots. Depending on where that card is and its type, a sample of sound is played. Users can stack 3 different samples at a time, and they can be rhythmic, harmonic or melodic. Each section has three different instrument sounds.

This is a tool/exploration for musical composition.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing, The Code of Music

Generative music instrument that makes music algorithmically from the users voice

https://wp.nyu.edu/tushargoyal/2018/12/05/vo-5ynth/

Description

Vo-5ynth, pronounced “vo-synth” (short for “voice-synthesizer in p5”) is a music instrument, but, its not a an ordinary one. First it doesn't have a sound of its own. Instead, it uses the users voice to make music. Second, its a generative music instrument so it doesn't give the user complete control over the music making process, instead, it encourages the user to (in a way) collaborate with the instrument (“the machine”) to make music. The user can define the pool of notes from which music can be generated but the actual output (notes for the bass, melody, harmony) is generated algorithmically by the instrument. The user can change the selected notes in real time to change how the music sounds and can thus, play this as an instrument that can be performed live or be used as an ideation tool, or just for fun really!

Classes

Intro to Fabrication, Introduction to Computational Media, Introduction to Physical Computing, The Code of Music

Use the power of your muscle to control your own wings

https://wp.nyu.edu/fenfenrita/category/pcomp/

Description

Imagine you have a pair of wings，you can control it with the power of your muscle.
When tense muscle , the wings will flap and different feather layers will move up and down.
When muscle release，the wings will stop gradually.
It is wearable finally…

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

A water flow is often thought-provoking and this time you will meet and interact with a maverick one.

physical-computing-final-maverick-flow

Description

Maverick Flow is an installation where users will interact, by means of eye or head movement, with a water flow that move abnormally due to the application of temporal aliasing. The users will kneel before the installation and the water flow will react to their eye movement. There will be 2 types of control built into the system. The 1st type of control will only change the frequency of the strobbing lights, but the user might be deceived and believe that he changed the way the water actually moves while they didn’t. For example, the water might stay in the air or levitate according to vertical eye movements. The 2nd type of control will genuinely change the way the water moves. They are welcomed to touch the water to witness the collision of what they see and what things really are. I don’t really want to be specific about what the piece is really about because I’ve heard some unique and yet great interpretations during user testings. For example, one of my classmates believes that nature is observing and interacting with us and she thought this what the piece is about. I really enjoy this kind of interpretation, so I want to be less explicit in the tile of description. But as an audience of my own work, I think it can serve as a comment on our excessive belief on things that we see, and the assumption of “Seeing is believing”. Although the topic is universal and even philosophical, it is becoming more relevant and popular nowadays as AI-powered video manipulation arouse public concerns. There might be a time when we can’t even trust what is happening right in front of our eyes.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing