Cousteau

Cousteau, my thesis project, is a kinetic interactive sculpture, a meditation on the intersection of Nature and Technology. The project grew out of my interests in oceanography and design, and the way that we as humans anthropomorphize in order to relate to technology. Cousteau synthesizes these ideas by using simple movements to suggest that technology might possess its own life force. Through a network of sensors, the sculpture monitors its surroundings, reacting to ambient activity, and a user’s proximity. The goal is to create an experience that is dynamic and engaging, one in which the user can make connections between his/her movements and the object’s response.

You can watch the Cousteau video here, or read more here.

Yo, Taxi!

New Yorkers hail a lot of cabs, and it can become quite competitive at rush hour when it’s raining, or late at night when bars and nightclubs close. This battle forces New Yorkers to risk their lives wading into oncoming traffic, frantically trying to get a cabbie’s attention. To give the stylish New Yorker the upper hand, I’ve developed Yo, Taxi!, a design that is sure to stop a Yellow Cab in its tracks. Yo, Taxi! is a coat embedded with a persistence of vision display, shown through a single row of LEDs positioned in the cuff of the coat. When the wearer raises his or her hand and begins waving it in the natural taxi hailing gesture, the LEDs illuminate. The POV strobes in time with the wearer’s action, creating the illusion of the word “TAXI” floating in mid-air.

Exhibition: FutureFashion (Pisa, Italy)

You can watch the YoTaxi! video here.

Totally Amazing Mutant Ears

Totally Amazing Mutant Ears are sound-collecting headphones that turn every day sounds into completely new and unique aural experiences for the user.By mixing and matching 4 digital distortion modes (reverb, echo, metallic, pitch-shifting effects) the user can orchestrate something out of this world!

Awards: Mattel Student Summit Best Toy Design

Photo: Jonny Goldstein

More on this project can be found here.

Powers of Dix

The Powers of Dix is an homage to the Eames' Powers of Ten. This interactive video installation casts the user as an omniscient God-like being whose proximity to the screen affects the action on Earth. In my stop-motion animation, a new view is revealed as the user gestures above the screen. Once the user becomes accustomed to controlling the action, he or she is drawn further into the portal, plunging closer to Earth in order to uncover the allure of Parisian life.

You can watch the Powers of Dix stop-motion movie here.

Personal Space Suit

This coat plays with our conceptions and perceptions of personal space. It defends personal space when it is under threat of intrusion, questioning our notion of “ownership” over personal space. Like a cat raising its fur or a porcupine its quills, the coat deploys an array of “spikes” to ward off invaders. The “spikes” both increase the physical space that is under the wearer’s occupation, but also serve as a visual deterrent to encroachment. The system works by sensing the proximity of objects surrounding the garment, and triggers a response when an object or body comes too close.

Photo: Quinn Norton

Lentil Cube

The Lentil Cube is my response to a challenge posed in Tom Igoe's Networked Objects class. Although not a networked object, it was a quick and fun design interaction assignment designed to gauge our physical computing skills and also to get us thinking about interactivity. Combining one item each from a list of Actions, Things and Responses I chose to go with Pushing, Lentils and Animation. Tom's brief mentioned that the project should be no larger than a 40 cm cube, and as soon as I heard that, I knew I wanted to make a perfect white cube. The lentil cube is just that—a cube sitting on the table and whenever you move it, it leaves behind a trail of lentils. It isn't absolutely clear why or how it works, it just does.

Watch the crazy cube video here.

Game Controller

This is an experimental Pong game controller in which the user controls the action on the screen by reflecting a beam of light. The user holds a mirror and reflects a beam of light emanating from the controller back onto the left or right side of the controller. Photocells embedded on the right- and left-hand side of the controller register when the beam is reflected its way. These sensors in turn are mapped to the game code to control the direction the onscreen paddle moves (i.e. right or left.)

CityRacks Design Competition

In collaboration with Design + Know-How, I submitted a proposal to the NYC CityRacks competition. Our aim was to provide not just attractive and convenient bike racks for cyclists, but also to create greater engagement by making the racks useful to non-cyclists as well. The rack itself is needle-like in shape, able to accommodate two bicycles at a time. The rack is made of powder-coated steel with interlocking injection-molded plastic caps at the center of the top curve. The loop form allows for bicycles of varying heights to be easily locked up.

More images and explanations here.