Designing Tangibles for Learning: An Empirical Investigation Summary: Recent developments in wireless and sensor technologies make it possible for computational power to be embedded in objects and the environment. These objects and locations can be networked together in a number of different ways, and can be linked to various forms of digital representation, e.g. an image or animation on a screen display, a sound, or even a change in the object itself. Digitally enhancing physical objects and real world environments in this way offers the opportunity for learners to explore physical or scientific phenomena in new ways. Although research studies demonstrate the technical possibilities of such ‘tangible environments’, little is known about their particular value for learning.

Led by Dr. Sara Price and Dr. George Roussos at the London Knowledge Lab.
Project website

Orchestrated Manoeuvres in the Dark: Playing with WiFi Toys at UK Festivals Summary: In Orchestrating Maneouvres in the Dark we seek to promote performative interactions with wireless, Peer-to-Peer toys in highly mobile and non-discrete spaces that are temporary and fleeting – much like street theatre and walkabout performance, where passers-by stumble upon the performance by chance. This raises questions about how to design interactive systems that are not only intuitive and unobtrusive, but also enticing – that encourage spontaneous interaction by passers-by without any or very little instruction. The project page describes its development through four case studies of nighttime use at underground music and performance festivals/events in the UK. In reflecting on our experience of designing for wittingness through performative interaction we outline guidelines for developing multi-participant Digital Live Art, and reflect on the use of camera phones for observational data gathering. The camera phones portion of the project is supported by Mark Rouncefield's Social Interactions and Mundane Technologies grant.
Project page

Hoverflies: Object as inducement to performative and playful encounters Summary: Emergent Objects is a university-sector research project funded by two of the UK government’s Research Councils, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, under their joint initiative, Designing for the 21st Century (D4C21). Our objectives are: Design and build an interactive object which entices performative interaction and play; Explore notions of performed acceleration; Use paradigms from HCI, scenography, architecture and performance to inform both process and outcome; Use accelerometers as mediating technology.
Project page

Analysis of Algorithms for Real-time Analysis of Acceleration Data Summary: Current ubiquitous computing research is exploring the ways wireless artefacts can acquire and analyse real-time sensor data. Sheridan's PhD Thesis explored how the invisible and under-explored phenomena acceleration can be used to drive ad-hoc artistic expression through naturalistic interaction through the use of accelerometers. During her research, she collaborated with external partners to develop a prototype ubiquitous computing system for wireless, peer-to-peer interaction and used this system for highly mobile and wireless ensemble performance for indoor and outdoor environments. (At the time of the grant application), two technology demonstrations have taken place and an international journal paper was produced discussing an early prototype. A Small Research Grant from Lancaster University allowed Sheridan to further explore this research.
Project page

iPoi - A tangible exertion interface for clubbing Summary: Imagine swinging a tiny computer around your body to create live visuals and audio like a DJ or VJ. iPoi is based on the ancient Maori art of poi and uses a wireless, peer-to-peer, sensor-packed upgrade of the original. iPoi is created by embedding tiny computers in tennis balls and socks, and swinging them wildly around your body. iPoi uses the wonder of acceleration, the hidden force that is in our every movement and has been performed in nightclubs, festivals and conferences in the UK, North America and Australia. To see a video of one iPoi performance, click here.
Project page

Social Interaction and Mundane Technologies Summary: The two year project "Social Interaction and Mundane Technologies" led by Mark Roucefield (Computing Department, Lancaster University) will examine the impact of new technologies such as email and mobile phones on social and organisational life. The project is a joint collaboration between Microsoft, Nokia and Lancaster University. Mark has asked me to provide a photoblog of my life/research for the project.
Further information available here

Threshold Summary: Led by Nadia Mounajjed, Chengzhi Peng and Stephen Walker - School of Architecture, University of Sheffield. Threshold was an interactive site-specific installation which investigated interactivity in the space of threshold. It also examined the impacts of composite soundscapes on the users' spatial practices (ie. movement and interactivity). The artwork originally was conceived from the concept of a threshold, which is a particularly interesting and composite space: rich, transitory and located between the inside (with its stories and privacies) and the outside/public space (in this case, the city with its disclosure and exposure). Moreover, the notion of threshold is also associated with sensation when defined as the minimal stimulus/energy evoking and producing sensation. A threshold may stimulate different sensations of intimacy, intimidation, nostalgia, or sympathy. Similarly, the Threshold intervention was a work that stimulated sensation with visitors. The aim was to create a relational connection and exchange between the users and the architectural site.
Click here for more project details and technical info
Click here to download a paper by Nadia Mounajjed [PDF]

Metamorphosis - inagural e-Campus underpass installation Summary: I was commissioned by the Friends Programme at Lancaster University as an Artist in Residence to manage and curate the inaugural content for the e-Campus Underpass project at Lancaster University. I worked closely with my own members of BigDog Interactive (formerly .:thePooch:. and with Tom Llyod, Dan Fox and Hannah Fox of (the former) Welfare State International. The experience was entirely controlled by the flow of traffic in the underpass. Multiple hidden sensors scattered around the underpass registered any movement in the exhibition space sending coded messages to the audio-visual equipment. For example if a vehicle approached the butterfly projected across the screen, the butterfly would appear to become afraid and fly back into its chrysalis. I collaborated with Welfare State International artists, computer scientists, performing arts students, youth housing residents, stilt walkers, photographers, musicians, bus drivers, and the public. Metamorphosis involved a month-long exhibition at the Lanternhouse in Cumbria, three participatory workshops and an Opening Night performance party in the Lancaster University underpass.
Video of the workshops and Opening Night party
Project page

.:thePooch:. Summary: .:we explore non-navigational spaces and interfacelessness:. .:we use less technology, not useless technology:. .:we like extreme prototyping:. .:we build rather than blog:.
Goto the .:thePooch:. website
The Pooch is now BigDog Interactive

The Cubicle: Exploring Cube Affordance Summary: The Cubicle is a physical interaction device. It takes the form of a cube, augmented with sensors, processing and wireless capabilities that allow it to sense its own state, as well as gestures performed with it. It can act as a physical interface for navigation, input and gesture recognition. The Cubicle has morphed into several projects - see them here.

Camera phone interactions for large public displays Summary: In this collaborative project between Tico Ballagas (Aachen) and Michael Rohs (ETHZ) we were interested in finding mechanisms for users to use their mobile phones as ubiquitous pointing devices for public and situated displays. The Point & Shoot technique allows users to aim the mobile phone camera to select objects on a situated display using a cursor on the live camera image of the mobile phone. This technique uses Visual Codes to establish a coordinate system on the situated display independent of the viewing perspective. Several publications resulted from this project including a book chapter.
See video of the Point and Shoot technique
Project site maintained by Tico Ballagas

(re)Actor3: The Third International Conference on Digital Live Art Summary: "This is LIVErpool" co-Chairs Nick Bryan-Kinns from the Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London and Tom Lloyd of Dreamtime Film, injected their interest in mutual engagement through collaborative music making, live performance in unanticipated performance spaces and film making to the mix. The outcome was, as Russell Beale, (Chair, BCS Group - Interaction) put it “a triumph.” (re)Actor3 was located in Liverpool, UK - host of Europe's 2008 Capital City of Culture. This year we were co-located with the BCS Interaction Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, with a heady mix of paper presentations taking place at the Holiday Inn, Liverpool, and evening performances and installations taking place at the Contemporary Urban Centre North West - an Arts, Cultural and Social enterprise centre which aims to reflect the themes of contemporary life in the urban environment.
Click here for info

(re)Actor2: The Second International Conference on Digital Live Art Summary: (re)Actor2 sought to bring together practitioners and academics from the varying worlds of Live Art, Computing and HCI for a lively debate and event which explored this emerging field. We were particularly interested in unanticipated performance spaces and playful arenas, such as festivals, parties and nightclubs. This year's theme, BAD GIRLS, GADGETS & GUERRILLA PERFORMANCE focused on women who are practicing in and between the fields of Computing, HCI and Live Art. In focusing on women, computing and the arts, we looked to celebrate the diverse skills, knowledge and experience that women bring to the field. It was our hope that bringing these people together would foster an environment for mutual learning, mentoring and support. Proposals and participation was welcomed from all genders. A collaborative project between Leeds Unviersity, Leeds Met University and BigDog Interactive. Sponsored by the Arts Council of England and Nokia.
Click here for information on how to register to attend the conference

(re)Actor: The First International Conference on Digital Live Art Summary: In 2006 I began as the follow on to my PhD research on Digital Live Art. The first (re)Actor conference with Alice Bayliss, focused on intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Live Art and Computing. (re)Actor sought to bring together practitioners and academics from the varying worlds of Live Art, Computing and HCI for a lively debate and event which explored this emerging field. We were particularly interested in unanticipated performance spaces and playful arenas, such as festivals, parties and nightclubs. The event was held in parallel with HCI2006: Engage!, the The 20th British Computer Society on Human Computer Interaction Group conference in co-operation with ACM.
Website

Chindogu Challenge: An Extreme Unuseless Prototyping Event Summary: The EPSRC LeonardoNet commissioned me to direct the third installation of ScrapComp Challenge. Leonardo-Net is an international, radically interdisciplinary research network led by the UK, set up to define a programme of research in the area of culture, creativity and interaction design. For this event, I developed the concept "Extreme Unuseless Prototyping" based on the tenants of Chindogu. Chindogu Challenge took place on November 23th and 24th at InfoLab21 at Lancaster University in Lancaster England. On the first day, teams made up from the various clusters (and put together by the organising committee) were given a challenge that was specific to HCI and covering the theme of Chindogu. Teams were given one day (about 5 hours) to build a solution to the challenge using the materials and equipment provided or that they can find. A panel of judges, including external experts, evaluated the solutions and give each team an overall score. Teams had to out-smart the competition and were evaluated on a number of creative and practical criteria as well as the tenets of Chindogu. Experts were on site to offer their advice and support to teams.
Website
A paper about the event [PDF]

No One Opens Attachments Anymore Summary: Following on the successful Scrapcomp Challenge in 2003, I received a grant from the Arts Council of England to collaborate with Folly for a similar event which was paired with KIT and Robert Saucier's Infrasense exibition. Artists and computer scientists were put into groups to collaborate on their projects. Congrats to the 2005 winners of the Scrapheap Computing Challenge cup "TickleBot".
Read a review of the event on Usability News

Toolkit Support for Interaction in the Physical World Summary: A Workshop at the IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing 2004. Pervasive computing continues to push computer technology off the desktop and into the physical world. However, building physical interfaces is non-trivial, requiring knowledge of low-level hardware and software details. These difficulties echo the experiences of the GUI community twenty years ago. Tangible user interface (TUI) toolkits have the potential to simplify physical prototyping just as GUI toolkits have improved graphical prototyping. This workshop will be a collaboration between tangible user interface designers and toolkit developers. TUI designers should give perspectives on the domain they are designing for, prototyping techniques they use, and difficulties they encounter. Toolkit developers should present their toolkit solution or project, and its particular strengths and weaknesses for rapidly prototyping TUIs.
Website

Scrapcomp Challenge Summary: Teams of grad students and staff from within the Computing Department at Lancaster University were asked to come together to compete in a unique and fearsome battle for "computing supremacy". Scrapcomp Challenge (which reflected the ideas in the popular TV show "Scrapheap Challenge" took place over two Tuesdays in September 2003 (challenges on the 2nd, 9th) and a Grande Finale on the 16th. On each day, teams were given a challenge that is specific to an area of computing (for example, mobile computing). Teams were be given one day (9 hours) to build a solution to the challenge using any equipment in the department or anything that they can find! A panel of judges, including a panel of experts, evaluated the solutions and gave each team an overall score. Teams had to out-smart the competition were evaluated on a number of creative and practical criteria.
Website

Art-Cels Summary: Art-Cels was a three-day celebration held in Lancaster with performance artist Stelarc. The event included a presentation by Stelarc "Alternate Bodies: Zombies, Cyborgs & Avatars" a workshop "Homopolybots: Building Modular Humans"; a presentation at Folly, and a performance party at the Town Hall in Lancaster. Together the events attracted artists who were interested in exploring human-machine communication using various performance techniques.
Website