1.the idea our group focused on is time travel technology. we noticed the requirement of our idea should be part of the environment, creative and concrete, have existing technologies or devices similar to our concept, and we should also force some problems coming with the device. our device focused on the novel “the Veld”; in this novel, the father picked up a wallet covered with saliva and a scarf stained with blood that belonged to his wife’s future self. indicating their fate of being eaten by the lion. so we come up with a camera that can tell the future of the thing it took picture of. which is in the environment of the story. also, we discussed the detail of the camera carefully. the time can be set so you can see the object in minutes, hours or days. this camera can also be used on human beings. also, if you make changes to the objects being taken a picture of, the next picture of it will change accordingly. similar technologies are AR technology which can show cultural relics as it was being repaired and other camera technology which can show your appearance when you are old by taking a picture of yourself. the innovative point of our device is that we can see the two technologies above are all reactive instead of interactive. we can not do anything after the machine has reacted to our first move. but our device is interactive. because we can react after the machine has reacted. the problem of coming up with devices that we have thought about is philosophical. that is do you want to accept your destiny or change it? do you want to see your future in the camera?
2. the definition of interaction is the process of two or multiple people or things responding to others with or without thinking or understanding how the other has acted for me. we can see there are two objects in our design. the person who takes pictures and the camera. we can also observe that the camera responds to the person who takes a picture by giving a picture of the future with some calculating. and the person who took the picture will want to change the future and do something in return that is responding to the outcome of the camera. so we can see this device of ours is interactive according to my definition of interaction.
3.I think the artifact is successful because it solves the problem that similar devices are all reactive instead of interactive. also, this device perfectly blended into the environment of the novel. The unsuccessful part is that we didn’t come up with a theory of how the camera worked. in that way we didn’t know how to build a camera like that in reality. we can only say it is depending on a strong AI. also, I think it is not that successful because we couldn’t make a performance to show its relationship with the novel as well as it’s the problem that comes along with this invention.
4. my role in the process is devoting ideas, making the prototype, acting, preparing tools, and introducing the reflection part of the camera. specifically, the idea of making a camera that can do things similar to time travel comes from me. then, I and Almon made the prototype of the camera. I also acted during the performance as the one who cheated on Rebecca and helped explain the function of the camera. in the end, I also come up with the problems that the camera may bring and some reflections our group has towards the camera.
5. the process of our group is that we first have a meeting and determine the idea we are going to work on. then we have a second meeting right before the holiday to determine everyone’s responsibilities. then Siwei did all the paperwork, Angel made the draft of the camera, I and Almon made the prototype of the camera and Rebecca made the decoration of the camera. then we met after the holiday to rehearse the whole show. we divide our parts in the show. Almon will introduce the camera and, Siwei and Rebeca will use our action to show its function. then Angel will elaborate on the relative technologies of the camera. in the end, I will ask the audience a question to reflect on our device. the way our group works together is first separately and then come together. we first did our part well and put them together to form great teamwork.
here is our script:
Slide 1
In this part of the story, George, the father, found a dirty wallet covered with saliva and blood, which implied the fate of the couple.
Slide2
Searching the technology that exists, we find two types of technology. One is the AR technology that helps us see what the cultural relics look like thousands of years ago. The other one is the AI technology that helps us see how we look when we are old.
Slide 3
The other one is the AI technology that helps us see how we look when we are old.
Slide 4
After reading this, we came up with an idea: How about making a camera that can predict what will happen in the future? Isn’t that cool?
This is the prototype of our imaginary device: future-telling instant camera.
You can switch the mode, choose the state of the object you would like to see. Five minutes? An hour? One day? Or…Fifty years later?
This is an apple. Let’s take a photo of it and see what will happen one day later.
Oops! It’s rotten.
Now , let’s put it into our fridge. Let’s take another photo!
Wow! How fresh it is!
Slide 5
We can think about what the device can do.
We think, if this technology is real, maybe we can use it to avoid the danger in the future.
And there is a problem. If you can use the camera to see yourself in the future, will you accept your destiny or try to change it? Are you willing to see what life you live in the future? There is no right or wrong answer. If you have any opinion, please raise your hand.
6.the group I’m going to analyze is the group that invented the machine that can wash all the viruses out of someone. in their project, they said that if someone was infected with the vital virus, we should put them into the machine they invented which will wash them dry and disinfect them. after those processes, they will be virus-free. they use a patient as a case to show their device’s process of disinfecting people. this device is extremely relevant to the novel because, in the novel, there is a deadly virus that infects many people. and with this device to disinfect people, the situation will be much better in the novel. I think it meets the criteria of relating to the novel and the innovative part. however, I don’t consider it to be interactive according to my definition of interaction. because the machine only reacts to our demands and we do not reply to the machine. so this device is reactive from my point of view. and it does not show the corresponding technologies as well as the problems they may cause in the future. so I do not think it meets the criteria in those aspects. I think this device is a bit like a car washing machine and lacks medical support but it does relate perfectly with the fiction story and is very innovative. I don’t think the action is that creative but it does help me to understand the function of the artifacts perfectly. because we can see a doctor telling a patient that he is ill and after he went through the device, he was virus-free. so we can know perfectly what that device is for. As a suggestion, I think that the group can be more interactive when they design their projects. for example, they can design that a device can detect viruses and we have to do something after the virus was dented to disinfect us.
