http://kfrantzis.com Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:40:28 +0000 http://kfrantzis.com en http://www.kfrantzis.com/Toing-and-Froing http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Toing-and-Froing Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:40:28 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 4860354 <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/5_650.jpg" width="650" height="365" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/5_o.jpg" data-mid="26140893" border="0" align="left"/> Collaborators: Amalia Goutaki Toing and Froing is the title of an installation piece, which aims to play with perspective alterations and disorientation. Moreover, interactivity with the piece as well as with the viewers themselves, is a big part of the project. In order for the piece to function, two participants are needed. The wooden swings with the back of the seat formed in the shape of infinity, are being hanged from the ceiling, aligned, but one facing east and the other facing west. <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/swingI_650.png" width="650" height="349" width_o="2048" height_o="1100" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/swingI_o.png" data-mid="26141022" border="0" align="left"/> Besides the two swings, there are two projectors, each one placed on the wall behind the back of each swing. When sitting on the swing, each viewer faces a rectangular white board, which defines the scale of the frame being projected. The board also has a cut out of a small square for the camera hidden behind it to be able to record the image. So, the motion of swing A is recorded by the camera A that is connected with a wire to the projector A which then projects on the wall and white board that swing B is facing; and the other way around. While rocking, each of the participants can see the other participant projected in front of him; thus, both viewers are mutually reflected on the wall crisscross. The projections are black and white, in the eye level of the participants. Lighting arrangements were made, in order for the piece to communicate the concept and create mystery. The experience differs between couples that participate. It depends on age, gender, the diverse matches, and if the viewers know each other or not. When entering the room, the projections are similar; two plain swings. By the time one realizes that it is not a mirror projection, he gets the sense that one person’s soul is being reflected into the other, connected in an unexpected way. We often tend to avoid eye contact with random people, it makes us feel uncomfortable, but through the lens of the camera and the projections, there is an odd ease that even strangers can feel a connection. When there is a young person and a senior then it gives the feeling of past and present being connected, when there is a boy and a girl, the meaning changes. The piece has an inactive and active aspect, it becomes alive when the participants interact with it and become part of a shared activity. <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/1_650.jpg" width="650" height="365" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/1_o.jpg" data-mid="26140877" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/2_650.jpg" width="650" height="365" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/2_o.jpg" data-mid="26140880" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/3_650.jpg" width="650" height="365" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/3_o.jpg" data-mid="26140883" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/4_650.jpg" width="650" height="406" width_o="1240" height_o="775" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/4_o.jpg" data-mid="26140887" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/6_650.jpg" width="650" height="365" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4860354/6_o.jpg" data-mid="26140899" border="0" align="left"/> Collaborators: Amalia Goutaki Toing and Froing is the title of an installation piece, which aims to play with perspective alterations and disorientation.... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Pegnio http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Pegnio Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:57:54 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 4622692 COMING SOON... Pegnio is an interactive game instalation aiming at Introducing children to the essence of programming through play and exploration. I am in the process of finishing the documentation of this project. STAY TUNED. Meanwhile you can get a feel for what Pegnio is on the following videos from my first user testing round of an early prototype at Guldberg Skole (Copenhagen) with children in 4th and 5th grade. <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4622692/DSC03410.JPG" width="670" height="495" width_o="800" height_o="592" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4622692/DSC03410_o.JPG" data-mid="24603533" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4622692/vlcsnap-2012-12-07-12h41m29s253.jpg" width="670" height="424" width_o="800" height_o="507" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4622692/vlcsnap-2012-12-07-12h41m29s253_o.jpg" data-mid="24603537" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4622692/vlcsnap-2012-12-17-13h53m28s128.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="800" height_o="450" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4622692/vlcsnap-2012-12-17-13h53m28s128_o.jpg" data-mid="24603541" border="0" align="left"/> COMING SOON... Pegnio is an interactive game instalation aiming at Introducing children to the essence of programming through play and exploration. I am in the... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Omnion http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Omnion Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:46:39 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3863240 <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/11-1024x767.png" width="670" height="501" width_o="1024" height_o="767" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/11-1024x767_o.png" data-mid="22830889" border="0" align="left"/> Our research about audio use in the home showed a distinct pattern; people often engage with audio in the kitchen. Cooking is one of the few activities during which people have time to enjoy music or a podcast. Unfortunately, listening to music while cooking isn’t the most seamless experience. As any home chef knows, hands are often too wet or dirty to easily control audiosystems used in the kitchen. We addressed this challenge with the creation of a minimal-effort, kitchen-friendly device to remotely control whatever audiosystem people are comfortable using. Current audio controls in the kitchen seem contrived, uncomfortable, and especially unsuitable for handling with wet or dirty hands. We examined natural kitchen choreography and the physical environment to inspire the form and gestural interactions with our tangible “interface”. OmniOn was prototyped mainly using an Arduino Nano and an accelerometer. It connects to any audio device using a wireless chip. Product video Coming Soon. <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/02_Interface.jpeg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/02_Interface_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145236" caption="The GUI." border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/04_Drawing.jpeg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/04_Drawing_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145238" caption="From the process" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/05_Building.jpeg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/05_Building_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145239" caption="Building interior mechanics" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/08.png" width="670" height="504" width_o="960" height_o="723" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/08_o.png" data-mid="22830905" caption=" " border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/06_Building2.jpeg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/06_Building2_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145240" caption="From the process" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/07_electronics.jpeg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/07_electronics_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145241" caption="The electronics" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/08_presentation.jpeg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/08_presentation_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145244" caption="From the exhibition" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/P1070825-1024x682.jpeg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1024" height_o="682" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/P1070825-1024x682_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145333" caption="Brainstorming and Prototyping" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/P1070845-1024x682.jpeg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1024" height_o="682" src_o="http://payload78.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3863240/P1070845-1024x682_o.jpeg" data-mid="20145246" caption="Brainstorming in the kitchen" border="0" align="left"/> OmniOn blends perfectly into the kitchen environment. It is water resistant, easy to clean and focuses on the most used audio functions. Press the top to play or pause. When paused, the LEDs breathe. Rotate the top to adjust volume. The brightness of the LEDs correspond to the level of volume – the louder the audio, the brighter the light. These primary functions have standard haptic feedback because of their instinctual daily associations. OmniOn has additional gesture functions that can be easily customized to a control of your choice – skip, shuffle, and timer are just some of the various options to choose from. You can even record your own gestures. Here is a making of video: In collaboration with: Markus Schmeiduch, Momo Miyazaki, Ana Catharina Marquez. Developed during a Tangible User Interface class at CIID, taught by: David Cuartielles (Arduino, Malmö Uni), Vinay Venkatraman (CIID), Richard Shed & Tomek Ness. Omnion is a fully functional prototype and was exhibited in Copenhagen. Our research about audio use in the home showed a distinct pattern; people often engage with audio in the kitchen. Cooking is one of the few activities during... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Telependulum http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Telependulum Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:39:38 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 4131302 <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4300.MOV.Still001_6.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4300.MOV.Still001_6_o.jpg" data-mid="21739330" border="0" align="left"/> Collaborators: Kenneth Aleksander Robertsen, Ruben van der Vleuten. Telependulum is an exploration into tangible communication. It consists of two pendulums that transmit forces between each other – always striving to reach a synchronized motion between them. If the swinging motion on either side is manipulated, the other pendulum will immediately try to adapt is behavior accordingly. When the motion is synchronized the pendulums produce a low hum. If the pendulums swing out of sync the audio is distorted accordingly. The Telependulums are controlled by a custom made circuit board from CIID labs. The board is based on Arduino hardware/software combined with a custom synthesizer library and audio output components. The motion of the pendulums is generated using a hacked computer hard drive motor equipped with a hall effect sensor to detect its exact position throughout the motion. You can read more details about the Plank haptic controller in a paper published by Stanford University here. <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4302.MOV.Still001.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="1920" height_o="1080" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4302.MOV.Still001_o.jpg" data-mid="21701216" caption="Hacked computer hard drive motor with hall effect sensor" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4276_displacement.MOV.Still001.jpg" width="667" height="376" width_o="667" height_o="376" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4276_displacement.MOV.Still001_o.jpg" data-mid="22909845" caption="Forces are transmitted between the pendulums" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4306.MOV.Still001.jpg" width="669" height="376" width_o="669" height_o="376" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/MVI_4306.MOV.Still001_o.jpg" data-mid="22909846" caption="Custom made circuit board from CIID Labs" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/DSC_0199_o.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="800" height_o="450" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/DSC_0199_o_o.jpg" data-mid="22909818" caption=" -" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4117.jpg" width="670" height="377" width_o="800" height_o="451" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4117_o.jpg" data-mid="22909823" caption=" -" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4110.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="800" height_o="450" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4110_o.jpg" data-mid="22909821" caption=" -" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/ProcessTelepend2.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="800" height_o="449" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/ProcessTelepend2_o.jpg" data-mid="22910307" caption="Making of the housing" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4152.jpg" width="670" height="377" width_o="800" height_o="451" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4152_o.jpg" data-mid="22909833" caption="From the exhibition" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4156.jpg" width="670" height="376" width_o="800" height_o="450" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4156_o.jpg" data-mid="22909836" caption="Exhibition - Bill Verplank feeling the force" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4196.jpg" width="670" height="377" width_o="800" height_o="451" src_o="http://payload91.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/4131302/IMG_4196_o.jpg" data-mid="22909839" caption=" -" border="0" align="left"/> Developed during a one-week Haptics class at CIID, taught by Bill Verplank (Stanford University), David Gauthier (CIID) and Jakob Bak (CIID). Collaborators: Kenneth Aleksander Robertsen, Ruben van der Vleuten. Telependulum is an exploration into tangible communication. It consists of two pendulums that... http://www.kfrantzis.com/CPHsignals http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/CPHsignals Sun, 12 Aug 2012 10:48:16 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3899211 <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/02_lamp_and_interface_dark.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/02_lamp_and_interface_dark_o.JPG" data-mid="20355368" border="0" align="left"/> Collaborators: Markus Schmeiduch, Ana Catharina Marques This project connects two Copenhagen neighbourhoods using the old maritime technology of SignalLamps, combined with the modern network layer of twitter messages. The aim of this urban intervention was to connect the two sides of the harbour, that are geographically close but still feel disconnected. Furthermore, it showcases how communication between remote locations was achieved in the past, in the context of Copenhagen’s maritime culture. The installation has a graphical user interface to allow users to type their message. An Arduino translates the message into Morse code and transmits the signals using old maritime lamps. The same interface is placed on the receiving side, which serves to decode and display the messages. Each of the two SignalLamps has its own twitter account so people can follow the conversations between the two harbour sides online. Users from around the world can also use twitter to send a new Morse code-message by an @reply to one of the Copenhagen signal lamps and broadcast their message into the harbor. <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/CPHsignalsMap.png" width="670" height="502" width_o="960" height_o="720" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/CPHsignalsMap_o.png" data-mid="20462835" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/03_lamp_at_harbor.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/03_lamp_at_harbor_o.JPG" data-mid="20355369" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/04_lamp_light_anna.png" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/04_lamp_light_anna_o.png" data-mid="20355370" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/05_morse_explaned.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/05_morse_explaned_o.JPG" data-mid="20355372" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/06_interface.jpg" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/06_interface_o.jpg" data-mid="20355374" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/07_kosta_working_at_lamp.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/07_kosta_working_at_lamp_o.JPG" data-mid="20355375" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/08_videoshoot.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/08_videoshoot_o.JPG" data-mid="20355376" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/09_lamp_at_workshop.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="1024" height_o="768" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3899211/09_lamp_at_workshop_o.JPG" data-mid="20355377" border="0" align="left"/> #CPHsignals is a fully functional prototype and was successful in provoking interactions between the two sides when exhibited in the Copenhagen harbor. Developed during the Systems & Layers class at CIID, taught by Adam Greenfied (ITP NYU) and Engin Ayaz. The Signal Lamps were kindly sponsored by Maritime Antiques. Collaborators: Markus Schmeiduch, Ana Catharina Marques This project connects two Copenhagen neighbourhoods using the old maritime technology of SignalLamps,... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Clutter http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Clutter Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:10:06 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3497677 Clutter is a data visualisation project that attempts to understand the relationship between people and their desktops. We used our classmates as a sample to base our investigation upon. For each person we collected a screenshot of their desktop and asked them to tell us if they know what each item on there was. Further more we checked what percentage of their hard drive is free. Here is a picture that shows the kind of data we collected for each subject: <img src="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/DATAVIS.jpg" width="670" height="292" width_o="800" height_o="349" src_o="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/DATAVIS_o.jpg" data-mid="18065829" border="0" align="left"/> Users with a messy and overloaded desktop tended to have less free space on their hard drive. <img src="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/AVERAGE_SCREENSHOTS1.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="766" height_o="511" src_o="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/AVERAGE_SCREENSHOTS1_o.jpg" data-mid="18065826" caption=" average image of all desktops" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/diagramlist1.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/diagramlist1_o.jpg" data-mid="18065831" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/IMAG26791.jpg" width="670" height="447" width_o="800" height_o="534" src_o="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/IMAG26791_o.jpg" data-mid="18065834" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/IMAG26801.jpg" width="670" height="447" width_o="800" height_o="534" src_o="http://payload59.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3497677/IMAG26801_o.jpg" data-mid="18065836" border="0" align="left"/> Collaboration work with Antoni Kaniowski. Clutter is a data visualisation project that attempts to understand the relationship between people and their desktops. We used our classmates as a sample to base... http://www.kfrantzis.com/The-Story-of-the-Wind http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/The-Story-of-the-Wind Thu, 17 May 2012 13:38:56 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3423043 <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/3.jpeg" width="670" height="338" width_o="688" height_o="348" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/3_o.jpeg" data-mid="21670847" border="0" align="left"/> Collaborators: Katie Kindinger, Ana Catharina Marquez The Story of the Wind is a project that explores wearable electronics. The dress has large folds of fabric that capture the wind to create many elegant shapes, along with sensors that create ambient music depending on the movement of the dress and the harshness of the wind. Using tilt sensors we were able to catch information about different movements and postures while holding the dress. This information is used to create different sounds. In addition a piezo sensor is able to measure the strength of the wind which is mapped to the volume of the wind sound in the soundtrack. The inspiration behind our dress is from a story written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1859. It is called “The Story of the Wind” or “What the Wind Told About Valdemar Daae and His Daughter.” To summarize, the story is about an upperclass family that looses a great amount of money. The father, Valdemar, spends the rest of his life trying to gain his riches back. The whole story is told from the perspective of the wind, who sometimes intervenes to tell the man that life is short and that he should not focus on money to make him happy. We based our project specifically on the beginning portion which says: When the wind runs across the fields, then the grass ripples like water and the fields of grain form waves like the sea. That is the dance of the wind. But try to listen to it when it sings. Its songs sound differently according to where you hear them, whether you are in a forest or listening when the wind makes its way through cracks and crevices in a wall. Look up and watch how the wind is chasing the clouds, as if they were a flock of sheep. Listen as it howls through the open gates; it thinks it is the night watchman blowing a horn. Now it is coming down the chimney; the fire in the fireplace burns higher and sparks fly. The light from the flames illuminates the whole room for a minute. It is so nice and warm and cozy in here, just right for listening. Let the wind tell us what story it wants to, it knows so many more tales and stories than we do. <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/lilypad.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/lilypad_o.jpg" data-mid="18045442" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/prototype.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/prototype_o.jpg" data-mid="18045443" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/sewing.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/sewing_o.jpg" data-mid="18045444" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape.jpg" width="670" height="447" width_o="800" height_o="534" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape_o.jpg" data-mid="18045448" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape2.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape2_o.jpg" data-mid="18045450" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape3.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape3_o.jpg" data-mid="18045452" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape4.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape4_o.jpg" data-mid="18045453" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape5.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape5_o.jpg" data-mid="18045455" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape41.jpg" width="670" height="502" width_o="800" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/shape41_o.jpg" data-mid="18045458" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/storyboard.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423043/storyboard_o.jpg" data-mid="18045459" border="0" align="left"/> Developed during the Performative Design class at CIID. Collaborators: Katie Kindinger, Ana Catharina Marquez The Story of the Wind is a project that explores wearable electronics. The dress has large folds of fabric... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Tasty-Tweets http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Tasty-Tweets Thu, 17 May 2012 13:38:54 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3423030 Have you ever wondered what twitter tastes like? Tasty Tweets is a data visualization experiment that allows users to explore current twitter trends through taste with a press of a button. Using the Twitter API, it collects tweets containing mentions of specific fruits such as blueberry, pineapple, apple and carrot and creates a smoothie that represents the blend. The smoothie is created based on the same proportions of fruits collected from the tweets. Because twitter trends change quickly, each smoothie has a unique palette of flavors. Data from which the smoothie is created are graphically represented on a computer screen. It shows the proportions of flavors in the current smoothie as well as the most recent tweets from which the smoothie was created. Furthermore, a historic view of past smoothies allows users to compare trends over time. To add another dimension to the visualization, Tasty Tweets is constructed in a way that makes it possible to layer the different juices within the glass. The layering of the juices results in a visual representation of the proportions of flavors in the smoothie – a graph in a glass. We used the Twitter API to gather the tweets, processing to analyze and process the data, and an Arduino microcontroller with solenoid valves to control the flow of liquids into the glass in order to create a smoothie that represents the data. Here is a short video that shows some of the apparatus operating behind the scenes: Tasty Tweets allows the user to experience, understand and interpret huge datasets in a new way. It is a result of a one week Data Visualisation course at CIID, taught by Golan Levin(CMU) and Marcin Ignac. It is a fully functional prototype and was developed by Kat Zorina, Ruben van der Vleuten and Kostantinos Frantzis. Tasty Tweets has received a lot of press coverage. You can view some of the main articles on the Press section. We were also invited to demonstrate the project at Campus Party Europe conference in Berlin (August 2012) where we had a lot of people seeing the project in action. The demonstration was part of a talk we gave at the conference titled: "Data visualisation beyond traditional means". <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/IMG_1945_adj.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/IMG_1945_adj_o.jpg" data-mid="18016826" caption="The smoothie." border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/MVI_1932.MOV.Still001-001.jpg" width="670" height="448" width_o="800" height_o="535" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/MVI_1932.MOV.Still001-001_o.jpg" data-mid="18016828" caption="Solenoid valves that control the flow of liquids" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/DSC_0310_adj.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/DSC_0310_adj_o.jpg" data-mid="18016821" caption="An Arduino controls the solenoid valves" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/10_adj.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/10_adj_o.jpg" data-mid="18016816" caption="Flowchart and an early prototype of the GUI" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/DSC_0168_adj.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/DSC_0168_adj_o.jpg" data-mid="18016817" caption="Experimenting with liquid layering" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/DSC_0278_adj.jpg" width="670" height="445" width_o="800" height_o="532" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/DSC_0278_adj_o.jpg" data-mid="18016819" caption="The Tasty Tweets team" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/ttTHum.jpg" width="670" height="501" width_o="800" height_o="599" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/ttTHum_o.jpg" data-mid="21058482" caption="The juice" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/IMG_1902_adj.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="800" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/IMG_1902_adj_o.jpg" data-mid="18016823" caption="Tasty Tweets Logo" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/Screen shot 2012-05-05 at 2.01.31 PM.jpg" width="670" height="418" width_o="800" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3423030/Screen shot 2012-05-05 at 2.01.31 PM_o.jpg" data-mid="17977177" caption="The GUI" border="0" align="left"/> Have you ever wondered what twitter tastes like? Tasty Tweets is a data visualization experiment that allows users to explore current twitter trends through taste... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Perspective http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Perspective Thu, 17 May 2012 13:38:53 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3423037 Perspective is a a quick exploration into Natural User Interfaces. It uses computer vision to determine the position of someone's face relative to the computer (face detection) in order to adjust the content of the display accordingly. This technology can be used in a variety of applications including video gaming and teleconferencing. It was developed using processing and the openCV library during a Generative Design course at CIID. Music by: Ulver Perspective is a a quick exploration into Natural User Interfaces. It uses computer vision to determine the position of someone's face relative to the computer... http://www.kfrantzis.com/Tang-3D http://www.kfrantzis.com/following/kfrantzis.com/Tang-3D Thu, 17 May 2012 06:00:48 +0000 Kostantinos Frantzis - Design, Engineering & Art 3422785 Tang.3D is an exploration into making digital 3D modeling more approachable to non-experts. It is a physical interface that provides an easy way to create 3D shapes in real time and makes 3D modeling easier and more fun. It also bypasses all these complex 3d software that currently are needed to create digital 3d models. The interface consists of a grid of red spheres hanging from the ceiling. Users can pull down any number of spheres and adjust their vertical positions. All the spheres that the user has selected to pull down are used as vertices in the creation of a 3D model. In essence the system is transforming all red spheres from vertices in physical space to vertices in digital space. Those vertices are connected with each other to form the digital 3D model. This is done mainly using a simple camera and color detection techniques. Finally, at any point desired models can be saved and 3d printed. Tang.3D has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2013 IxD awards in the category: Expressing - Encouraging self expression and/or creativity. <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/IMG_4631.JPG" width="670" height="500" width_o="800" height_o="598" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/IMG_4631_o.JPG" data-mid="17949804" caption="" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/tang.3d-4.jpg" width="670" height="502" width_o="800" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/tang.3d-4_o.jpg" data-mid="17949807" caption="Grid of spheres" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/IMG_4618.JPG" width="670" height="501" width_o="800" height_o="599" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/IMG_4618_o.JPG" data-mid="17949803" caption="From the exhibition" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/tang.3d-5.jpg" width="670" height="501" width_o="800" height_o="599" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/tang.3d-5_o.jpg" data-mid="17949809" caption="Camera capturing the positions of spheres" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/DSC01155.JPG" width="670" height="502" width_o="800" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/DSC01155_o.JPG" data-mid="17949801" caption="Feedback screen" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/tang3d.jpg" width="670" height="501" width_o="800" height_o="599" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/tang3d_o.jpg" data-mid="17954035" caption="Feedback screen close up" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/DSC_0026-001.JPG" width="670" height="499" width_o="800" height_o="597" src_o="http://payload56.cargocollective.com/1/6/214083/3422785/DSC_0026-001_o.JPG" data-mid="17968810" caption="Some 3D printed model made with Tang 3D" border="0" align="left"/> Context Digital 3d modeling at the moment is mainly done through the use of specialized software. This software is most of the time both complicated and expensive and requires from the user to have specific skills. We felt that this could be discouraging for non-experts to enter the world of 3d modeling and express themselves. Furthermore there seems to be a disconnection between the digital and the real. Users need to have a lot of experience to relate the two and create digital models that perfectly represent the real object they originally had in mind. Therefore we decided to create Tang.3d, a simple system that allows users to quickly create digital 3d models while bypassing the requirement of complex skills on software. Further more, with the physical interface users can relate real world objects with the digital ones in a more efficient way. Initially we wanted to use the Microsoft Kinect to create a digital model from a physical one. Due to the constraint of budget we decided to use color detection techniques and a normal webcam bringing the cost down dramatically. Impact By creating a simple tangible interface that allows users to create real actual shapes on the physical world and let the system do the job of simulating that shape in the digital world, we knock out the requirement of special skills for specific software in digital 3d modeling and make it more appealing to the masses. As it was a one week project at CIID, Tang.3d is a starting point to an exploration of what is possible on the world of digital 3d modeling, a world that is only aimed to the elite, skilled users at the moment. We believe that there is room for a lot of improvement and hope that our project will provoke discussions of possible ways forward and give a glimpse of what can be done. It was a one week project in collaboration with Ruben van der Vleuten. Developed during a generative design course at CIID, taught by Joshua Noble and David Guathier. Tang.3D is a fully functional prototype and has been exhibited in Copenhagen. Here is a time lapse of the exhibition: Tang.3D is an exploration into making digital 3D modeling more approachable to non-experts. It is a physical interface that provides an easy way to create 3D...