[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp-kZcImV70&w=560&h=315]

Jesse Chorng’s “Sneaker Mirror”, as discusses in my final project ideas post.

Getting off the ground seems to be a theme stuck in my head right now.

The two toys below essentially constitute the subject matter of my first and most developed idea.  I would like to suspend a bubble blowing robot on a wire in the arch hallway of the CFA building.  Using motion tracking and simple computer vision, the robot (perhaps in the form of a squirrel) would be triggered to come out of it’s home when someone walks by.  It would locate them and stop overhead, or follow them as they move.  If they stop, the robot will blow bubbles at them from overhead.

The main idea is to engage viewers with that space in an interactive way.  Where I particularly appreciate the reproduction statues in the hall, the fact that they are static would become interesting again, contrasted with an art installation that is dynamic.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOf43yb4V0U]

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cTmJkCaUI4]

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Another, more literal ‘leaving the ground’ inspiration is from the great work that people are doing with low earth orbit video.  There are an increasing number of amateur and professional projects using GoPro and other HD cameras.  This idea is much less developed, but I’m wondering what may come of recording and tracking a balloon, gathering and editing a video as the final project.

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWp4suB60fg]

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCAnLxRvNNc]

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The third idea feeds my UFOlogy monkey.  I stay as current as I can on the latest and best UFO/Alien encounter/abduction news.  To me there is nothing greater than the possibility of making contact with extraterrestrial/ extra-dimensional beings.  What is just as interesting is the effect that possibility has on humanity.  Ronald Reagan once said he often thought how an official alien encounter would serve to unite humanity in the knowledge that we are collectively one of potentially hundreds of races.  Or under the suspicion that they could wipe us out if they wanted.  What have you?

I am inspired to do one of two things: a really fun UFO hoax in Pittsburgh, OR a conceptual piece where something very human is sent into space as an alien visit from us, to another civilization.  Imagine, like the videos above, sending a terrestrial object (plant, toy car, etc.) into space as a way of visiting our civilization on the home turf of the aliens.

Theo Jansen's UFO

I also found it hilarious that Theo Jansen, of Strandbeest fame, did a similar project as a young man.

What becomes interesting is our ability to use simple computation to up the ante on jokes played out since the 50’s and 60’s.  We can easily introduce RC, amazing light arrays, cameras and so on.

Foiur "UFO" pictures taken in 1967 by Michigan teenagers Dan and Gram Jaroslaw were reprinted all over the world. The two eventually admitted it was a hoax.

A brief history of UFO hoaxes.

Unearned Intimacies- Michele Iversen

This photography project from a few years ago presents photographs taken when standing outside peoples’ houses or other domiciles and taking photographs of moments that seem intimate. The subjects have neither consented nor are aware that they’re the subjects of the photos.

I think the project is particularly interesting since it violates our expectation of privacy in the home. Whereas a person would not be expected to have a candid photo taken of them while walking along the street, even though some people might perceive that as creepy, the idea that they could have their photo taken as they walk to a window is very weird. I think it invades privacy to make a point in the same way I’d like to for my final project.

Showroom Girls by William Popelier

In this project by a Dutch artist, photos taken by two pre-teen girls on a store showroom’s webcam are reapportioned by the artist, who then (assumably) used tineye or another reverse lookup service to find their Twitter and other social media handles and seems to essentially stalk these two girls. That’s super creepy. This project diverges from my own ideas in that I’d like to violate the privacy of people who have at least come to an art exhibit rather than unwitting observers. However, the idea of looking people up on the Internet to make a point is the same approach I’d take, albeit automatically.

Michelle Teran- Life: a user’s manual

This project unmasks the trackers who are using CCTV and other surveillance techniques to track people. Taking advantage of the unencrypted signals many surveillance cameras broadcast right out of the box, this traveling exhibit broadcasts and brings into the light the surveillance that is happening without you realizing it.

For my final project I’ve had a change in heart and instead of continuing with the augmented projection of suburbia on the floor, I would like to pursue more work with chairs. My plan is to get the front seat of an ordinary car, a swivel office chair, a wooden kitchen chair with a tie-on cushion (this one I have), and a lazy-boy recliner. I will then, with the use of an arduino and multiple motors and sensors, have a realtime feed of motions in suburban life that are then created in these chairs. I am thinking of asking friends who have family in suburban neighborhoods near Pittsburgh to help provide the data that will be mimicked.

This is an attempt to sum up the complete suburban experience by visualizing removed actions in a new context. The chairs will be installed side by side and spaced approximately a foot apart. I feel that much of suburban living is done sitting down and, most often in some variation of these particular seats.

Some projects I have been looking at for inspiration

William Lamson does an interesting series of small gestures/actions involving balloons, sculptural elements and sometime himself. I always find these really enjoyable to watch because there is a light humor and sense of suspense/expectation set up in the beginning of each video.

And here is a link to his website where you can thumb through all 33: http://www.williamlamson.com/#/selected_work/actions/video/8

Here are some my favorites:

11/33
8/33

Zimoun: Volume

I know Golan showed us this one in class, but I came across it again and it made me think of using motors within the final project.

Seiko Mikami's "Desire of Codes"
https://www.creativeapplications.net/events/seiko-mikami-desire-of-codes-ycam/

This piece corresponds more with my original plan to expand on the the projected image. Overall, I think that it has a lot of very interesting and complex components and I do like the treatment of video, but I find that the complexity of all these components muddles the message in the piece.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/25261181]

Looks like I wasn’t the first one with this idea. There are a couple things I really like about this particular project: firstly the helmet is pretty darn nifty. The planar form allows for the user to easily be able to define where they are in the space while looking equally ridiculous and futuristic. Secondly, the pairing with an Arduino to physically be able to rotate through the space is a nice extension of interaction, though I had wished that he had incorporated more features like zooming or panning. In any case, I fee like my particular project is an extension of this one. I aim to truly be able to manipulate the projected environment instead of merely representing it like in this video.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/25852368]

I want to know how they were able to so accurately use the ipad accelerometer to move around the image, unless they used some other marker to match the image to.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/24775861]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a way to combine AR markers to my project. Perhaps placing a marker on the helmet to switch heads would be interesting?

1. Heart Rate Monitor

I am interested in health-care related interactive projects. For an instance, I hope to create a cloth like a T-shirt or a hoodie that monitors hear rate. For this idea, I am inspired by Nien Lam and Sue Ngo who created Warning Signs at ITP, NYU. For my project, I hope to measure heart rate and displays it on a cloth whenever it reaches high.

Here is a demo of their Warning Signs.

[vimeo=https://vimeo.com/17869877]

2. Virtual Fishing Pond

It was really fun to play with AR toolkit from last project. So, I thought that it would be fun to create virtual fishing pond using AR toolkit. I am thinking about to using real fishing rod attached with QR code. The project is intended for children-use, and they can fish on a computer screen using webcam.

A number of projects from robotic artist David Bowen. He often makes robotic sculpture that extends the capabilities of plants or animals and allows them to interact in different ways. I’m interested in extending realm of interaction between different species.

Fly Blimps:

IR Drawing Device:

Networked bamboo:

David Bowen Portfolio

“No telepresence robots allowed” How machines transform our relationships with each other

http://bleekercomics.com/?p=1251

The above comic was used as the title slide for a panel on telepresence robots at last weeks annual Int’l Conference on human robot interaction. Panelists included Leila Takayama from Willow Garage, a representative from Vgo, and Hiroshi Ishiguro, the guy that created a robot that looks like himself.

“This an opportunity to enhance the human identity” Ishiguru talking on having various doppelganger telepresence robots.

“Invisible Mercedes” A very shy vehicle.

[youtube=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIGzpi9lCck”]

“This Amazing Device Just Made Wheelchairs Obsolete for Paraplegics” GIZMODO

http://gizmodo.com/5894489/segway+style-device-for-paraplegics-puts-wheelchairs-to-shame

AND FOR FUN…

“Quadrotors play James Bond Theme Song”

[youtube=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUeGC-8dyk”]

ROME

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReH7zzj5GPc]
http://www.ro.me/

The Treachery of Sanctuary

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2kZdl8hs_s]

I have had an idea for some time about an interactive PIECE for my wife, who is often the last person to benefit from my career choices.  I was inspired by Kyle Machulis’ tele-dildonics projects.  I would like to make a dildo for my wife that becomes more erect the more I use my computer.  While I’m working, she still gets some attention.

NonPolynomial Lab:

Stupid Sex Dolls, typical:  This is a bad and stupid use of technology for sex.  Just use your hand.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MeQcI77dTQ]

This is a little impersonal:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX_eGE6Cif8]

Arthur Ganson Chair dance:  This is related if your a fan of chair dancing, but otherwise just and amazing machine.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VBXQxoP814]

RemoteKissing:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PspagsTFvlg]