cuma360 – capture more
Final Bachelor Project
The project cuma360 is the final project for my bachelor degree. The topic is about the act of photographing. We asked ourselves, what has changed with the development of digital photography, and our finding was that the development has happened mainly at a technical level. The handling of the camera was completely neglected. Our project tries to respond to the conscious use of a camera. In various user research we noticed two important aspects. A broadening of perspective is very important for the most of the test users and they were visualy fixed on the camera display while shooting. So they could not concentrate on the essentials. With these findings, we developed a concept for a camera that can capture several perspectives in a simple manner.
Basic Camera
The basic module consists of two lenses, a shutter button, a lithium ion battery, a flash memory slot, a mini USB port for connection to a computer, and connector elements to other basic modules. These components are housed in two elements, which are connected in the middle with a hinge. The hinge can be bent in either direction, or folded. Such a basic module functions as a stand alone camera, but can be extended by connecting it with other basic modules.
Advanced Camera
If several base modules are connected together, the new structure can then function as a stand alone camera. The interactions are the same as with the basic module. The more modules are connected, the larger, seamless panoramic images can be captured. Our concept doesn’t limit the extent of the camera.
Interaction
The interactions with the camera are limited essentially to bending, breaking, and folding the camera. If the camera is folded in the middle, the lenses are opposite each other and the camera is turned off. In the on mode, the user has the opportunity to take a photo which can vary in size from that of a normal photo up to a panoramic photo. The format and the perspective are determined by the photographer by the bending of the camera. As long as he bends the camera, he captures a continuous panorama. If he feels a break between two elements, then the focal lengths of these two cameras are not overlapping and there is an interruption at this point in the panorama. These interactions work both at the level of the individual basic module as well as in a compound arrangement with multiple camera modules.
Collaborator
Mentors
Karmen Franinovic
Stefano Vannotti
playband
First Concept
We wanted to give couples the opportunity to communicate with touch in a non-sexual context. The idea was the communication with text and word to expand by the factor of haptic contact. The touches we wanted to transmit should be sensed as real human touch. Therefore we did some interviews and found out that a lot of people like the touch on their shoulder, their neck or their back. Because of that fact we wanted to create a necklace for the touch output. For the input we thought about a bracelet, because it is pleasant to use and unobtrusive.
Mechanic and material testings
To find out which electronic module creates which sensation, we have tested several vibrator units, small motors and capacity switches. The incorporated material and the place on the body is of great importance, and can change a felt mechanical vibration to a little bit more comfortable touch. But overall we couldn’t really find a way to emulate human touch. But it has to be highlighted, that small motors with a soft rotating material (like fur or wad) or fabric slowly dragged over parts of the neck can create an enjoyable feeling.
In a more mechanical approach we tried to solve the problems of correct positioning and movement of small amounts of hair and textiles. This resulted in more complex and especially heavy contraptions. The sensations were genuine but hard to incorporate in a small devices (especially jewellery). Additionally it was hard to find another working «host» which is easy to wear with a minimum of hassle.
Second Concept
After the failure in the material tests, we changed our concept. The focus was no longer in the transmission of real human contact, but rather on the means of haptic communication. Also the prototype should not consist of a bracelet for the input and a necklace for the output. The input and output is done on a bracelet. We wanted the users to communicate in abstract patterns like morse code that can be modulated and played a bit like a basic instrument. That allows the user to invent an own haptic language.
Prototype
Our Bracelet has four built in buttons and vibrators. A button consists of two metal plates which are bridged by a touch and close a circuit. So you don’t have to press the button, but just touch it. If you touch a button on your bracelet then you can feel a slight vibration at this point. The signal is also sent to your opposite and she feels a strong vibration at the same place. The communication works wirelessly over an XBeeShield. So the users can can communicate over a distance of about 100m. It works in both directions at the same time. With the four buttons and the time factor you can now create many different patterns
Future work
In the future we have to finde a useful purpose for the gyroscope. It is already in the bracelet but it isn’t used. We have also to refine the bracelet as a playful instrument, maybe with visual outputs too. And because the use of the materials isn’t perfect yet, the vibrations are hard to distinguish. So we have to optimize the vibration, the arrangement of the vibrators and the material of the bracelet.
Conclusion
In several user tests, we saw a skeptical first response to the bracelet. The haptical feedback for the users were surprising and unusual but it animated them to play around, even when they weren’t convinced of the bangle. We observed also that you have to learn patterns and develop an own haptic language to communicate. Otherwise the patterns were often blurred and incomprehensible.
Built-in components
– XBee Shield
– 8 metallic plates
– 4 vibrators
– gyroscope (for optional use)
– a lot of transistors, resistors and cables
Duration of the course
6 weeks
Collaborators
Mentor
Breathing Pillow
Guideline
The user should be pleasantly guided to sleep to release him from his everyday stress.
Basic idea
Our pillows will relax the user with a rhythmical movement. We believe the rhythm of the breath can be influenced by the cushions move. The pillow adapts the breathing rate of the user and is then, after a while, replacing the movement of the pillow with a slowing, regular rhythm. This transition will happen smoothly. The user is not aware of a new respiratory rate to impose. The rate should be lowered to a normal breathing pattern during sleep. Once the system detects that the user is asleep the pillow stops breathing.
Target group
We target on stressed people, people with sleep disorder and people who take home work in their head and therefore can’t easily fall asleep.
Research
People and animals tend to sleep on the chest or abdominal area on other living things. Often this can be found with couples, children and animals. We wondered whether in addition to the social proximity, the movement has an influence on this behavior occurs.
Prototype development and user testing
We have tried several ways to give the pillow a breathing exercise.
In the first experiments was to raise the head up and down, but this was perceived by most respondents as unpleasant and annoying. With this experience, we have adjusted the movement so the head is no longer raised, but the movement was only noticeable.
We experiment with different mechanical systems to make the movement as quiet as possible and a most comfortable experience. Even with the materials we have made several attempts. We have tried various movement systems of wood, metal, rubber, PET and Plexiglas.
We have repeatedly called in various people and asked them questions on the different movements and sounds. Many users have not felt the movement in the beginning, but have felt the light changes of movement as very pleasant and soothing experience after a while. The sounds that were produced by the servos could not completely eliminate but most testers perceived it as not too disturbing.
According to these findings and adjustments, we started experiments with the pillowcase. We used different materials such as fur and fabric. For some, the fur was to too rough or perceived as pungent. Some found the fur to be inappropriate or repulsive. The pillow was perceived as too hard.
Technology solution
Inside the cushion is a box with two servos which are controlled by an Arduino microcontroller. These control a train system with a lash which pulls together two PET sheets. Through the power to bend the PET plates, it generates the lift and lower a of the cushion. The control of the prototype will take place by a knob to control the speed and a battery for the power.
Technical problems
The battery discharges quickly because it powers the mechanical movement of the servo motors. This makes the battery also very hot. Our servo motors are still too noisy to produce a noise-free pillows. Through the use of high quality servos we might can reduce the sound further.
Further steps
In further tests with users with sleep disorder we could test the effect and usage of our pillow optimally. In electronics, we would rely on high quality components to reduce the noise.
Duration of the course
3 weeks
Collaborator
Michael Fretz
Manuel Hitz
Mentor
Karmen Franinovic
Grid – iPhone Application
Who is this application for?
We think that an app of the poster collection is especially for creative people, such as designers, artists, graphic artists or just people that are interested in art .
The application was meant to inspire pastimes and entertainment purposes for short-term
Furthermore it should give users a way to find missing inspiration.
What are the functions of the application?
It should facilitate an easy entry and show from the beginning posters or poster sections. Our app should be easy to use and the interface is not applicable to obtrusive. In our view, the application should not be a tool. It is to entertain and to encourage the user to look at posters that he would not consider because of its interests. The inspiration comes from that well known, where you least expect. For this reason we have not had a specific search or smart suggestions to the viewer. If the user has displayed a poster which suits him he will have the option to save this poster in his favorites.
To organize these favorites list, the user has the opportunity to hang its posters on notice boards. This feature allows him to create a kind of mood board and appropriate placards to place in its own system to organize itself and visually as he likes it.
Prototype
The prototype was programmed in Objective-C. It runs on a iphone as well. For programming we had only had a school license and that’s why I can not offer the app on my website. Who still wants to test the app can download the source code on this site.
Duration of the course
4 weeks
Collaborator
Mentors
Prof. Jürgen Späth
Magnus Rembold
Audi R8
Reading makes tired
FrogWar
Abstract
The topic of this course was “computer vision”. We had to use the camera (laptop, webcam, etc.) as a sensor and we analyzed the date with Processing and generated an output. Our project was a game called “FrogWar”. The head of the player is being transformed into a froghead. The goal of the game is to catch a defined amount of flies. You can also eat mosquitos but then you lose a life point.
Concept
Our focus was on making a simple and easy understandable game concept. The game should be controllable without a controller, so the user is the digital protagonist himself.
Context
The game can be played everywhere. You only need a camera, a computer and a screen. It is also possible to play it on a smartphone with java-support and a camera on the front.
Functions
The head is tracked with OpenCV in Processing. It tracks whether the mouth of the player is open or closed. If the mouth is open the frog darts out its tongue and tries to catch the next fly.
Rules
– As soon as the head is tracked, the game starts
– Each dark fly gives a point
– Each red fly removes a life point
– No life points = Game Over
– If you reach the defined amount of flies, you win!
Duration of the course
5 weeks
Collaborator
Mentor
Max Rheiner
Shiftpark
What is SHIFTPARK?
SHIFTPARK is a scenario about designing a public place. They have to be more flexible and changeable. People have an effect on the look of the park and could design it by their own. A town need more possibilities to use a public place without large efforts.
SHIFTPARK is a part of a public place, where tiles can lift out of the ground. So the user has the possibility to shape the ground like benches, tables… The creativity has no limits.
Collaborator
Mentor
Max Rheiner
einblick – 2000 Watt on the move
Project
The project “2000 Watt on the move” was was a collaboration with electricity companies in Zurich.
Task
Explain the electrical concepts simple and understandable for everyone.
Problems
Electricity is a subject that is difficult for laypersons to imagine. The basic concepts can be explained only with models. The difficulty here was to break the models down to a simple, visual and unimaginable level.
Concept
Our approach was that it is easiest for the visitor if he can identify himself with the model. So we created a miniature world in a cable. In this world each miniature person symbolizes an electron. The electrical concepts are explained in various everyday situations in this miniature world. To give the user a feeling of immersion in a foreign world he can look at the miniature world with a magnifying glass.
Collaborators
Milos Savic
Bahar Büyükkavir
Elektrizitätswerk der Stadt Zürich
Mentor
François Chalet
BioFuel – Chances and Problems
Green mobility in the future
“BioFuel” is an application for a multitouch device. It indicates to the user the eco-balance of a biofuel. Biofuel has been praised as the fuel of the future. That’s because biofuel generates less CO2 than conventional fuel. But the truth is, that biofuel has a high portion of grey energy. The application allows the user to experience the relationship between the cultivated area for the raw material, the emission of carbon dioxide and the driven distance. The user can choose a raw material, change one parameter and the two other parameters change automatically or he adjusts each parameter and sees which raw material fits best. For further information read the documentation or download the prototype to try out the application.
Collaborator
Mentors
Prof. Jürgen Späth
Magnus Rembold
Mirror of Truth
Goal
The goal of my project was to point the user to his energy consumption. This information should take place in the users everyday live and provoke a bad feeling.
Idea
I came up with a idea of a mirror, that can change his shape. The idea is, that the user looks ugly and fat, the more energy he uses. To downsize the project a little bit, I locate the area of the energy consumption to the bathroom. There you use cold and hot water for showering and brushing teeth and you need water for the flushing.
Concept
The system collects all the data from different sensors. If the user uses more hot than cold water, the energy consumption is higher. The bending of the mirror is the indicator of the consumption level. The user can see that, when he stands in front of it. If he walks away, the mirror bends back in normal position and looks unchanged. That is to enforce the effect of looking fat. After a while of no energy consumption the consumption level decreases slowly.
Prototype
For the amount of water i used a bending-sensor, for the watertemperature i used a temperatursensor in the first case but because that sensor is very clumsy, i solved the problem with a slider. For the flushing i used a pressure-sensor to measure the time the user pushes the flushing. So the system knows, how much water is used.
Mentors
Karmen Franinovic
Raphael Perret
Energy on Stairs
How does a user know if he uses too much energy? He should feel it in his everyday action.
The Energy on Stair-Project is a stair, where the user feels how much energy he uses. Every step is able to move up and down. Depending on how much energy is consumed, the steps are moveable more or less.
How does the stairs move different ways and get in his normal position if nobody pushing down?
Below the step is a spring that holds the step in his position. Because the pressure point on the spring is so small, its strength could be controlled. If the pressure point is moving left (pictures right side) the strength is decreasing. This is the law of the lever. The pressure point is controlled by a small servo.
How does the different consumption level affect the stair?
If the energy consumption is low, nothing happens. The steps are fixed and the user goes upstairs as normal. If the consumption is increasing, the steps on top of the stair are beginning to be moveable. While the stair looks still normal, more steps getting moveable, the more energy is consumed. This movement of the steps should generate a feeling as if you walk through snow or sand. One step forward and a half step back.
What can be done in the future?
There is still a possibility to generate energy with every single step. Because every time it is pressure on the step, the pressure point touches the ground. With a piezo element it should be possible to get energy that can be supplied in the system. All over the world are projects achieved that generate energy with pressure.
Mentors
Karmen Franinovic
Raphael Perret
Woman with fabric
car2go-App
A project in coorporation with Daimler AG
The go2car 2.0 project was about designing an iPhone-Application for the carsharing project «car2go». The application has to support the search of a car2go (car2go means also the vehicle) Therfore the user can choose between two diffrent mainscreens. The map-screen for the overwiew and the compass-screen to guide the user to the car2go. On the map screen the user has the oppertunity to acess the menu. The menu is easily operated and it is handled with the right or the left hand in the same way.
Functions
– With a double-click on the map you can switch between map-screen and compass-screen
– With a click on a vehicle-icon you can select the vehicle you’d like to find
– If you hold your finger on a icon or on the map, you open the menu.
– With your finger on the screen, you can navigate through the menu.
Collaborators
Samuel Bauer
Jonas Shriqui
car2go GmbH
Mentors
Prof. Jürgen Späth
Magnus Rembold
Handling of Colors
3D-colormodel
The first topic of the project was to build a three dimensional transformation of an object in ten steps. My object changes his size during the transformation but the holes in the surface have always the same size. The outcome of this is that I get an increase of the surface and I have a high contrast between the first and the last object in the transformation. In the second topic we had to build a color cube with our transformation ( 10 objects x 10 objects x 10 objects ). The cube should show the comparison between color saturation and the amount of a color in a color situation. In my cube, the transformation stands for the saturation. The bigger the surface of an object is, the more saturation has the color. The animation in the cube is that the transformation moves from the inside of the cube to its outside. The amount of the color is shown by how many objects are dyed and the objects change their color from the outside to the middle. That generates a lot of different color situations.
Mentor
Prof. Jürgen Späth
Interaction Dynamic
The laws of symplicity by John Maeda
This cours was about to simplify the looking of an interaction. We had the topic was “select – deselect”. The guidlines were that the user had to interact with the mouse and the graphic design had to be built with basic geometrical shapes like circle, triangle and square. In my solution, the colored squares are the de selected objects and the white circles the selected objects. Each object is loaded with information (in my case that’s the color). The user can see the information of the object whether it’s selected or deselected. The selected object is located on the circle with the same color of the objects deselected status.
Mentors
Prof. Jürgen Späth
Patrick A. Vuarnoz
The train compartment
Space and Perception
This workshop was about analyzing a public space. I decided to examine a train compartment in a Swiss-train. There are a lot of different smells, the volume can be quiet or loud, the light in the train can be the daylight or the light from an electric lighting and all these facts influence the situation in the train compartment. To demonstrate some different light situations I built a 3D model. Download the documentation to see the whole analysis.
Mentor
Prof. Christoph Allenspach
MAdeK – Uploadsection
User groups
“MAdeK – Medienarchiv der Künste” is the media archive of the Zurich university of the arts. This platform was redesigned and we were a part of the first design iteration. Because a main part of the archive is the upload, we decided to design the upload section. The problem was, that a lot of different people have to deal with MAdeK and therefore we had to optimize the upload for each type of user. Some people like to set a hole bunch of metawords and other don’t even set one. We thought about how can we do justice to both of them. In the end we decided to build two user groups. The students and the tutors. Each group has different possibilities to set metawords or authorization.
Technologies
The interaction in the process of upload should be to handle as easy as possible. Therefore we thought to drag and drop the files into the browser. This allows the user to upload more than one file as once.
Collaborator
Mentors
Stefano Vannotti
TouchLight
Concept
With LightTouch, the user can see the luminosity not only on the brightness, but also by the number of illuminant. The sum of the luminous balls determines its luminosity.
The lamp is divided into two parts. In the upper half are the illuminant that doesn’ t light up. With the fingers, the balls can be pressed to the bottom half of the lamp to bring them to light.
The user interacts directly with the source of light.
Technology
In the four pillars of the lower half of lamp are power strips located. Through small wires in the illuminant, the LED placed inside the ball gets energy to light up.