ITP Research
“…people, projects, ideas and applications all dedicated to exploring and expanding the ability of real people to use media to connect to one another and influence the world around them.”
NASA’s Experimental Sailplane Soars Like a Bird
Sailplane autonomously detects, gains altitude using thermals to lengthen flight time.
Getting an Airport Express and a Linksys access point to play nicely.
It involves uploading modified firmware to the Linksys. No easier way?!
Solar panels integrated into a backpack
Cheesy pack, but interesting concept.
Auto-Thread, Dual USB Embroidery/Sewing Machine
Sewing machine with color lcd screen to preview uploaded patters prior to automatic reproduction. This is one serious sewing machine.
“Life interrupted”
Considering the “always connected” lifestyle, full of interruption and stress.
Printed Skin
Scientists in the UK are runing clinical trials on a modified ink-jet printer than can print skin and bone fragments to tailor fit a patients wounds.
Rubber metal
Flexible, elastic, and conductive. Whoa. Elastic metal sounds weird.
GM862 Cellular Module by Telit
Physical computing project. Communicate serially with this module, which can handle tri band cell events. Complicated to use, and not cheap, but allows net connectivity anywhere there’s cell service.
Museum of cardboard records
Also a few metal records. Some cardboard records come with their own paper “record player”!
Irish firm creating “electronic paper” like displays
Uses nanotechnology somehow. Check these guys out again in a couple years.
Tour of a motherboard factory in Taiwan
I’ve only seen the end result, so this is pretty cool.
Pad2Pad - Custom online circuit board manufacturing
Neato. Submit circuit board drawings of printed circuit board designs online, have the finished boards delivered.
eMachineShop - Online Machine Shop
Submit your cad dawings of machined parts you need for your super cool project, and get them manufactured and mailed to you!
“Sensitive Objects”
Technology developed by the European Space Agency detects the unique acoustic signature associated with tapping in a certain location. Thus the same surface may be used to control a variety of interactions. Locations of controls (such as light switches)
del.icio.us | hci interactiondesign science technology userinterface
Technology, Entertainment and Design
Invitation only conference in Monterey
Basic tutorial on building software from source
Knowing the 3 steps isn’t hard, but it’s helpful to know what’s going on in the background.
Philips research into foldable paper-like displays
Latest estimate is that such a 5×5 size screen will be out in 2 years (2007). Check back later and see if these guys come through.
Homebuilt Minty MP3 player
Some serious electronics chops required here.
Guy running a wifi node out of his backpack on the Seattle Sounder train.
Associated with SeattleWireless.
M-TRAN II robot
A modular robot that can reconfigure itself into many different forms and discover forms of locomotion for each configuration. Apparently it can “learn” new methods of locomotion without being programmed specifically for a series of actions.
Developing a new environmentally friendly soy-based adhesive, inspired by mussels!
An Oregon State University prof analyzed the proteins in mussels’ byssus - the small threads that they use to grip rocks. Far stronger than traditional adhesives.
Interactive City Festival
“Global festival of art on the edge” located in San Jose, CA. Happening in August 2006.
Hello
John is currently thinking and designing in San Francisco.
Projects
Message Muni
A simple and forgiving text messaging service for San Francisco Muni arrival times.
DSButtons.com
DS Buttons are an invitation to play.
Collaborators
Adam DuVander
of WifiPDX and Simplicity Rules fame.
Josh Heumann
Polaroid alchemist extraordinaire.
Sean Madden
The Pixelnomad.
Name Redacted
Qué mysterioso.
Tom Watson
Stays up late over at 110am.