Due: Tues., Mar. 16, 10:30AM

This week we will continue to explore experiences of presence through responsiveness. Eliciting a response is one way we recognize that another being is present. You are to create a presence that responds to interaction.

You are asked to create this presence using a combination of the pneumatics or motor, fabric, your Bluefruit, and a sensor (either home-made or on-board the Bluefruit. You can use any additional elements that you need to make the experience effective.

Approach

This assignment is an opportunity to begin to bring together the many of the elements we have explored in class: presence through responsive materials. The context of where your presence “lives” will greatly affect how we read, experience, and understand the presence. If it lives in the bookcase, beneath your couch, in your dresser, or sitting beside you all offer a different experience. Test out a number of different locations to find one that is surprising, exciting and unusual. Even one location can have many options – on a couch, in a couch, below a couch or beside a couch will all offer different opportunities and readings.

The actions and reactions may be very simple at this time. Consider contrast and rhythm changes. Consider what minimum and maximum actions create the effect of a presence. You will continue to rig this up using alligator clips and mock-up materials – think about what you can do even in this state to bring us as close to what you are imagining as you can.

A few prompts:

  • What are the different states of the presence? Does it have an autonomous action and a reactive action?
  • How can you create a presence that has ambient awareness?
  • Where does this presence live?
  • What does it do? Why?
  • What is the minimum you must do to create the felt experience of a presence?

Objectives

  • Explore how reactions and responses contribute to a feeling of presence.
  • Explore extension of the motor or pneumatic movement we can create.
  • Explore integration of the different elements we have been using in class.

Materials

You have received a number of materials to build pneumatic structures and also a variety of pieces of fabrics. Use these materials (and any of your own) to create your responsive presence.

Code

The suggested sample sketch is the Ticklish Device example. This uses one soft sensor and one hobby servo to create an autonomous movement and a reactive movement. Once you have decided on the context and structure of your device please consider how this sketch could be extended or adjusted.