Interactivity
1 – Webcam based interactivity with RevealJS
http://revealjs.herokuapp.com/
This project is inspiring because the creator thinks about how a commonplace document – the powerpoint – can be made more engaging and playful. The author uses webcam based gesture recognition to allow a user to control the flow of a slideshow. The project could have been more effective had it not just done complex computer vision algorithms but also supported rudimentary optimizations like if a finger is very close the the webcam and covers most of the view of the camera.
2 – Starfield
In general I am a stickler for interactivity that goes beyond the desktop / mobile screen and stretches into the physical world around us. This project really took that liking to a whole new level. It is simple but really gives the user an immersive experience by accelerating the stars in the direction opposite to the rotation of the swing. I think the project could have been more realistic if the swings were suspended inside domes so that the user could get a 360 degrees view of the sky. However as it is, the project is really immersive and i’d love to try it out.
3 – A Louer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skpS_C0HVik
This project signifies the social impact that interactivity can have. This application, built on openframeworks and featured on creativeapps, uses computer vision to detect location of passers by in the street, and then moves a commonplace “rental” sign board alongside the passers by as they walk. This is inspirational for me because it takes something really ordinary and makes it interactive for normal people walking on the street. These normal people get to experience something new, enjoy, and move on with their lives hopefully undistributed. This simple but engaging experience is what the makes or A Louer really got right.