Category: Inmi

The Chronos interactive art exhibition demonstrated how technology, art, and interaction could work together to produce pieces that are both entertaining and thought provoking. In my experience, art exhibitions are generally one dimensional, leaving the viewer with little opportunity to engage in the work beyond viewing, and reacting to the piece as such. Non-interactive, one dimensional art invites the viewer to engage with it internally, but the experience essentially ends there. The Chronos exhibition allows for a more intimate experience with the art because of the interactive qualities of many pieces. Interactive art not only invites one response of the viewer, but rather, at least two. 

The first interactive project that stuck in my mind, and that I think about at least once a month, is an M&M themed music making game, in which the user drags and drops different M&Ms figures to different, labeled spots in a window, each character adding an instrument to a musical ensemble. While, unfortunately the original website appears to have since been taken down, here→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xdvZMwV7DI is a Youtube link to someone playing the game. After some consideration, I probably continue thinking about this game so often because of how effortless it makes the act of making music. In a similar fashion to a game like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, this little M&M’s online game really makes you feel like a musical artist; you have access to different instruments, characters, beats, and melodies which creates a sense of personalization and accomplishment for having dragged and dropped these animated candies with human traits onto the stage. 

Another interactive project that tickled my fancy was a simulated soccer free kick simulator, in which the user approaches a physical ball on the ground in front of a projector screen. The user is then prompted to kick the ball at the screen, which is displaying a goal. After the ball hits the screen, a sensor detects the presumed trajectory of the ball, and determines whether the user would have scored or not depending on their kick. I found this concept particularly interesting because of its ability to bring something that would otherwise require a lot of space to essentially anywhere. Not only does this project compress the activity, but it also does not necessarily detract from the original experience; everything on an actual soccer field that a player directly interacts with is present in this virtual version, which is why I particularly admired the concept.

My initial definition of interaction relied fairly heavily on the idea of what makes an effective prompt, and the extent to which the user/project give and take experience feels organic or natural. For example, in the case of the soccer free kick game, while I have yet to actually play it myself, I would likely consider this interaction to be fairly good, in that it both invites the user to interact with it (by way of a soccer ball sitting on a grassy platform in front of an image of a goal), and directly responds to the users engagement with it by transposing and image of the kicked ball onto the screen, providing the user with an immediate and clear response to their action. My goal for my final project is generally on which transfers the experience one has with something bigger or that requires more resources to something smaller while retaining a high level of meaning as it relates to its original form. I think the soccer free kick example is much better at achieving this goal than the M&M’s music game because, while the M&M’s game makes more accessible to the user the means to create a personalized song, it does not give the user as direct a sense of the actual interactive experience of making music, whereas the soccer free kick example does. In an article in https://www.intechopen.com/, definitions of interaction are coupled with tips for successful interactive design. One of the more interesting words of advice from the article was the idea that the system in question should be effectively positioned to serve the physical needs of the person engaging with the project. For example, the soccer free kick project accomplishes this goal fairly well by including an actual sized ball, and a screen big enough for the user to have a relatively immersive experience taking a free kick. The M&M’s game, however, transposes the experience of making music, but does so in a fairly limiting way; for that project to have achieved a more immersive experience, a larger, more hands on setup may have served it well.

1. “Beat Orchestra” 

“Beat Orchestra” gives aspiring hip-hop producers the opportunity to make rap beats in a fun and interactive way through the use of multiple sensors that serve as different instruments (eg. a physical kick drum on the ground one can stomp on to add a kick drum to their beat). This project would bring the fun of making music without forcing the monotony of the sole use of a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. This project could be used by people of all ages who are able to use their hands, arms, feet, etc. to engage with sensors to produce music for their and others’ enjoyment. After some research into music production, it turns out that most producers just use a monitor, mouse, and often an electric keyboard for all the instruments that go into a beat. This method sounds boring, repetitive, and alienating to those who don’t necessarily want to slouch over a computer to make music. With “Beat Orchestra,” anyone from small children to serious producers can start to see music production as an active activity. 

1. “Soccer Skills Assister” 

    Imagine Dance Dance Revolution but for learning how to do stepovers and other soccer skills. Various sensors are placed around a stationary soccer ball which light up depending on where the user is supposed to place his/her feet to perform the intended skill. In front of the user is a screen with a person demonstrating how the move should be performed in real life. The user can change difficulties by selecting different skills, and deciding at what speed they want to perform them. By altering the delay between the different light up sensors, the speed at which the user performs the skill can change. I was not able to find anything like this after some research online, so this is probably a trillion dollar idea that I should probably patent sooner rather than later. The intended audience is essentially anyone with function in their legs. It’s pretty much like Guitar Hero but for soccer, but “Soccer Skills Assister” can actually teach you something useable on a soccer field unlike Guitar Hero which just teaches you how to push buttons. 

1.  “Security Sensor”

Everyone has some concern for the safety of their personal belongings, and the “Security Sensor” is marketable to anyone with drawers containing valuables they wish to protect from stealers. One just places the “Security Sensor” inside any drawer that contains valuables, and the light sensor on the “Security Sensor” detects that the drawer has been opened, and sends a message to the owner, and snaps a photo of the perpetrator as well. When you want to open the drawer yourself, simply turn off the “Security Sensor” from your phone. After initially learning about light sensors, I immediately thought of a fridge, and how the light (allegedly) is off when you close it, and on when you open it. A light sensor would know for sure whether the light is on or off, so why not apply this to a closed drawer or cabinet?  

“Soccer Skills Assister”

Physical interaction has seemed to have taken the gaming world by storm — systems like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect became massively popular upon their release, and demonstrate how marketable physically interactive systems can be. I really enjoy the idea of taking an experience or activity that would normally require a large amount of space, and shrink it down into something much more accessible, and equally stimulating. I was initially inspired by the soccer free kick simulator I referenced in a previous post as it played into my love of soccer, and sparked my interest in the concept of creating small-scale versions of things that require more space. My project follows a similar trajectory, which incorporates my love of playing soccer with the idea that people can have fun learning and playing the sport without leaving their home, and let alone going to a soccer field. The “Soccer Skills Assister” would give people the opportunity to learn soccer skills to better themselves as players, or get a bit of fun out of an exercise that may operate differently than pretty much anything else on the market right now. 

My plan for the project is essentially to first recreate the game Dance Dance Revolution using Arduino and Processing, and transposing it to be soccer related. My idea would of course include a soccer ball, and four cardboard sensor pads around the ball to the upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left of the ball. After selecting the skill move the user wishes to learn from a menu on a computer in front of them, a video of someone doing the move appears on the screen, and replays as many times as the user needs to understand how the move is performed. When the user is ready, a countdown timer starts on the screen, prompting the user to get ready to attempt the move. When the countdown reaches zero, the pads on the ground will light up, directing the user to step on them in the same sequence they saw in the video on the screen. My idea is after a certain skill move is selected from the menu, the speed at which the user has to perform the move increases each time, until the fastest viable speed to perform the move is reached. The first round will be fairly slow, to allow essentially any able-bodied person to get  the basics of it, regardless of skill level. By the third or fourth round, the speed will have increased significantly, leaving only skilled players, or people who played the game a lot, a chance of succeeding. I plan on spending a substantial chunk of the next two weeks making sure my sensor pads work properly, because if people are unable to step on them or the sensors are not sensitive enough, then I think the whole thing is a total loss. Once I make sure the sensors are working properly for the project’s intended purpose, I will write the code for the game itself, creating the menu, making sure the pads light up correctly depending on the chosen skill, etc. 

The research I have done so far in relation to this project has essentially been limited to my admiration for games like Dance Dance Revolution in that they take the activity of learning how to dance and make it both easily accessible and fun. I thought a lot about my definition of interaction when drafting the idea for my final project, and concluded that out of the ideas I brainstormed, this one would be the most interactive. I personally think a soccer ball sitting on the ground would be reason enough for someone to approach my project, just out of curiosity. When the potential user approaches the project, my goal is to get them to say: “Hey, let me see if I can move my feet quickly like a pro soccer star” rather than “Eh it’s just a sports game and I don’t even like soccer, I’m not interested.” I think what makes my project particularly unique/significant is the fact that it can attract both people with an interest in soccer/athletics, as well as those without a strong interest in sports, but who are nonetheless somewhat interested in the idea of a quickness game where they can get some exercise and have fun. I’d say this project is also significant in that it can be made into both a casual, arcade style game, and a more serious soccer drill for players to develop their skills. If I were to continue improving upon this idea, I would probably make two versions of it: A casual, arcade soccer skills game, and a serious tool for coaches to buy for their players to use at practice.