Author: Iskander
Steps in the sand
Creating a smart object that raises awareness about data collection in the public space at Scheveningen
The municipality of The Hague has been developing a Living Lab at Scheveningen (LLS) in which smart technologies, used to create a smart city, can be tested. Data is collected through various sensors in the smart lamp posts called smart city hubs. Examples of data collected are the amount of people in an area, noise levels and air quality.
LLS asked us to create a smart object that raises awareness about data collection to make people aware of the smart infrastructure.
We approached this challenge in such a way that the user interacts with technology in a playful manner, while also being made aware that their movement is being monitored. Steps in the Sand makes use of a camera and a projector inside of the smart city hubs. The camera recognizes that a user is approaching and the projector then projects footsteps in front of the user. The user is invited to step inside the projected steps. When the user reaches the end of the steps, the user can play a game with other users, watch a video about the area or make his/her mark. This mark is then projected at all of the smart city hubs in the area.
University | The Hague University of Applied Sciences Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Society |
Project type | Semester project Smart objects (2nd year) |
Students | Paul Dutcher Henry Ryhänen Paul Seidel Hidde Vos |
Speedbubble
A toolkit for stimulating interaction amongst passengers of autonomous vehicles, applied in a design for the autonomous floating Seabubble.
A futuristic research and design project in which the different experiences of travellers in shared autonomous vehicles have been explored by means of testing with low fidelity prototypes. It resulted into a design for travellers sailing the new mobility concept Seabubble, an autonomous floating water pod, but the project also delivered a set of design criteria that are applicable to other shared autonomous passenger experiences. The low-fidelity prototype testing showed that a certain amount of (cooperative) control provides a motivation for passenger to undertake interaction. The designed concept facilitates interaction by requiring passengers to cooperate, since the amount of control on the sailing speed depends on the amount of collaboration.
University | Delft University of Technology Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering |
Project type | graduation project |
Student | Ilse van Zeumeren |
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The Making of a Smart Pillow
Designing an object with intent through a data-enabled design process
For my graduation, I did research on designing intelligent artefacts, their interactions and how data could be used in the process. This was done in the context of leisure in the living room. The result of this was a smart pillow that could actively provide comfort to users through hugging and by helping them to avoid slouching. To get to this result I created an IoT prototype of a pillow that was used during user observations and interviews. This IoT pillow could sense the pressure applied on it, how it is positioned in space, and how warm it is. This allowed me to generate an extra layer of data (machine data) on top of recordings of observations (behavioural data) and transcripts of interviews (subjective data). In order to analyse this, the machine data was visualised and connected to the behaviour and experience of the participants. This visualisation is a 3d representation of the pillow with the sensor data projected on it. By placing a video of the user next to it, the direct relationship between the usage and sensor data could be seen. This allowed data to be used as a creative material and sparked a constant back and forth between sensor, behavioural and subjective data. Based on this and other insights the interaction with the pillow was designed.
University | Delft University of Technology Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering |
Project type | graduation project |
Student | Tjapko Vermeulen |
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saam
saam helps lonely people to alleviate the feeling of loneliness
Loneliness in old age, with an estimated eight million affected in Germany, is not only a current problem but will also become an increasingly relevant problem in the future due to demographic change. The antidote to loneliness is social reintegration and the creation of new social networks. At the user’s own dining table, saam provides a social space for people suffering from loneliness and gives them the opportunity to get to know and maintain social contacts – despite physical distance – and to build up a sustainable social network and environment by inviting other affected people to join each other’s meals digitally.
University | University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt |
Project type | team project |
Students | Matthias Dietrich Tobias Dossinger Helene Lehmann Isabel Mahnken |
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Nightlight-noisescape
Providing a sense of feedback in medical research, by generating a relaxing audiovisual experience based on participantís personal research data
Nightlight-noisescape is a concept for new sensory technology developed by Yumen Bionics and Ann.ID. This technology facilitates the possibility to more independently measure muscle activity of young adults that partake in medical research with muscle dystrophy.
The objective of the design challenge was to give these participants a greater sense of feedback within the research process, and something that provides a positive note to an otherwise abstract procedure. This concept has to bring the data back to the user, in a positively framed manner.
By utilizing internet connectivity to retrieve uploaded research data, the concept constructs an audiovisual experience, with the goal of creating a soothing atmosphere to induce a calm and reflective mood.
This concept creates more tangible, short-term milestones within research. By creating a regular reflective ritual for the user, the product builds a greater degree of ownership of the process as well as a more independent experience for the patient.
University | The Hague University of Applied Sciences Innovation & Society |
Project type | Semester project Smart objects (2nd year) |
Students | Elmo Koning Kees de Nijs Jakub Weissgerber Alexander Kidwell |
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EarthSurfers
A video game using medical data to give teens with Duchenne a playful interaction with Duchenne research data collection
We wanted to create a product that would give teens with Duchenne a reward for their taking part in the medical data collection. We wanted this to take the form of an interaction that feels playful and personal, as opposed to medical data collection which often feels monotone, formal, and impersonal from the subject’s point of view.
We decided to create a product for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy between the ages of 12-14 because we found this to be an especially difficult time in their lives, with puberty and their condition progressing during this time, both of which are stressful, especially in tandem. We want our product to soften this period of their lives however it can.
To meet this goal, we decided to create a video game that would use data from Electromyograms (EMG) in a way that affects the product in a meaningful way. We chose to create a video game because we found that video games were very popular among 12-14 year old boys (Duchenne affects boys predominantly). Video games achieved our goals of making a product that gets the user to focus on the product achieved our goals of making a product that gets the user to focus on the product rather than their condition.
University | The Hague University of Applied Sciences Innovation & Society |
Project type | Semester project, 2nd year |
Students | Jacinda Diptya Antoine Dunand Iva Hristova |
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Introbots
An interactive deployment to generate design knowledge on introversion
A deployment and research study using interactive artifacts (The Introbots) to generate design knowledge on introversion and have gathered a nuanced understanding of introversion. By urgently calling for more care towards introverts in design education and proposing an introversion-positive agenda, we use the ‘the Introbots’ to call for a better understanding of introversion.
University | Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences Master Digital Design |
Project type | Minor project |
Students | Anandita Punj Gabriela Prattingerova Adriaan Oudemans Beatriz Ibeas Carmen Scherbaum Lena Heindrich Edwin D’mello |
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Internet of Plants
A light hearted project based on the idea of plant communication
Two studies published in 1983 demonstrated that willow trees, poplars and sugar maples can warn each other about insect attacks. Since then, numerous studies and research have confirmed the science of plant communication. From releasing volatile organic compounds into the air when insects attack to using roots to communicate with each other, plant communication has been debunked but still the awareness about this isn’t strong.
Internet of Plants (IOP) is a light hearted project based on the idea of plant communication with the aim to educate and spread awareness about the subject.
University | Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design |
Project type | Course Tangible User Interface |
Students | Nitin Surendran Mohit Choudhary Sachin Jose |
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Ethics Compass
More diversity, please! The Ethics Compass, an interactive workshop concept, helps to foster diversity and inclusion in the context of tech
Whenever we design or develop something, there will be someone on the other side who will use our product or service in the end. Do we want those people to feel discriminated by our work? No! But there are still lots of bad examples out there that do discriminate against people. And in most cases this discrimination could be avoided. The graduation project Ethics Compass is an interactive workshop concept that was initially created to foster and encourage diversity and inclusion in the context of Artificial Intelligence. However, the concept can be extended to technology (also IoT) and design in general and is relevant for everyone who works (or will work) in the design/tech industry. With the Ethics Compass we want to sensitize everyone, who is involved in the creation process of a tech product or service, where possible discrimination has its origin and what we need to change in order to avoid it and foster diversity instead.
University | University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt |
Project type | graduation |
Students | Julia Metzmaier Jessica Hammer (Jessi is not taking part in the IoT Talent Award but we did this together) |