Major Studio 2, Interactivity:

Haptics, Vibrotactile Displays, and Communicative-Touch Over Distance [at a glance]

Vibrotactile
via: google.com

Immerison
http://www.immersion.com/

I Feel Pixel
http://www.ifeelpixel.com/

MIT Touch Lab
http://touchlab.mit.edu/oldresearch/index.html

John Hopkins University
http://www.haptics.me.jhu.edu/research/

USC

USC's Integrated Media Systems Center
http://imsc.usc.edu/haptics/projects.html
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Tennis for the visually impaired

http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/006249.php
Tennis Sensation is a tennis game that allows a wide variety of users, particularly the visually impaired, to compete fairly.
It uses spatial (3D) audio, to represent sounds at locations in space, enabling the user to locate the virtual ball. The handle of the "racquet" shows correct orientation and grip through contours and materials.
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Cyber grasp, pinch, squeeze and throw
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/005814.php

Stroke patients who face months of rehabilitation to regain the use of impaired limbs may benefit from new haptics systems developed at the University of Southern California. The applications are challenging stroke patients to grasp, pinch, squeeze, throw and push their way to recovery. "Haptics, which adds the sense of touch to 3-D computing, lets stroke patients interact with virtual worlds by feel," said Margaret McLaughlin. "The big advantage is that we can control the environment and design cyber tasks that target each patient's impairment."
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Human to chicken pet touching through the net
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/003825.php

With Poultry Internet, the Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore blends the Internet, 3D, sensors, haptics, cybernetics and augmented reality to allow a pet kept in a backyard to feel a whole body fondling by its owner who is located remotely.
Poultry Internet consists of two Systems connected in real time through the Internet:
- the Office System, where the pet owner has a mechanical system with a chicken doll on top of it. Inside the body of the doll are sensors sensitive to touch, they transmit the touch signal to the real chicken. Hence, the doll in the Office actually represents the real chicken in the Backyard.
- a Backyard System, where the chicken is kept with a few web-cams around it. The chicken wears an electronic jacket, which, when activated, will create vibration and bring the sense of being touched and massaged. The jacket has also small sensors which sense the chicken�s legs movement.
The owner can put on a goggle, and see the 3D live image of the chicken. Best part is that s/he can also put on a special shoe with electric sensors, and as the chicken walks in the Backyard, the owner will feel his/her own foot having a mild electrically stimulated sensation.
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Computers with a sense of touch
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/003825.php

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the technology behind haptics, derived from the Greek word meaning "to touch". "A group of science museums in the US is showing off one form of the technology. The system, dubbed the Internet Arm Wrestling Challenge, uses aluminum arms and hands connected by a series of rods and gears to computer servers linked to the Internet. Visitors looking for a test of strength sit in front of a touch-screen monitor and ask the computer to look for a potential opponent at another museum. If one is available, his or her picture appears on the screen via streaming Internet video, the two wrestlers grip the metal hands and the computer starts the contest".
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Interpersonal Wireless and Tactile Interface
http://yg.typepad.com/flocking/

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A Shoulder Pad Insert VibroTactile Display

http://wearables.unisa.edu.au/projects/EJacket/Papers/spad-iswc2003.pdf

Speakers, Sounds, and Interface

Wii Speaker
The Wiimote has a small low-quality speaker, used for short sound effects during gameplay. The sound is streamed directly from the host, and the speaker has some adjustable parameters. The speaker is not fully reverse engineered yet.
The speaker is controlled by using three output reports, together with a section of the register address space of the Wiimote. Report 0x14 is used to enable or disable the speaker. Setting bit 2 will enable the speaker, and clearing it will disable it. For example, to enable the speaker, send:

Wii Sound Data Format
The sound data format is still a bit unknown. It seems to be 4-bit PCM sound, with a flexible sample rate. But the 4-bit value doesn't behave quite the way I would expect. Repeating the same 4-bit value produces silence as one would expect. And alternating values such as 0xC and 0x3 produces a nice loud clear note. BUT changing it to 0xF and 0x0 makes it quieter, not louder. Perhaps it is a signed 4-bit number in twos-complement. But I don't know. I haven't worked it out yet.

JayClone

Wii-Djing or Wiij [imagine are really cool 8-button mouse with an accelerometer..]

Wii Drum Machine

Bluetooth, Wireless and Wires

Bluetooth Modem - BlueSMiRF

Price: $59.95
Description: The BlueSMiRF is the latest Bluetooth wireless serial cable replacement from Spark Fun Electronics! These modems work as a serial (RX/TX) pipe. Any serial stream from 9600 to 115200bps can be passed seamlessly from your computer to your target. We've even tested these units successfully over open air at 350ft (106m)!
The remote unit can be powered from 3V up to 6V for easy battery attachment. All signal pins on the remote unit are 3V-6V tolerant. No level shifting is required. You can select from two different remote types. BlueSMiRF includes hardware flow control (CTS and RTS) and uses a compact ceramic antenna. BlueSMiRF-RPSMA includes hardware flow control and a reverse polarized end-launch SMA connector that mates with RP-SMA terminated 2.4GHz antennas for even longer range!
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Bluetooth and Arduino Tutorial

http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/Tutorial01

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Also Easy but not cheap:
EmbeddedBlue Transceiver AppMod

Price: $69.95
Weight: 0.887 lb.
he EmbeddedBlue Transceiver AppMod provides standard Bluetooth connectivity for BASIC Stamp applications without the need for detailed Bluetooth knowledge. Engineers, educators, hobbyists, and OEMs can take advantage of advanced wireless connectivity with this easy to use module. It is designed and manufactured by A7 Engineering (www.a7eng.com) based on specifications provided by Parallax, the exclusive distributor of the EmbeddedBlue Application Module. Note: Free technical support is provided when used with microcontrollers that Parallax advertises. Other processors are not supported.
The communication potential with Bluetooth is rather amazing when compared to proprietary RF, especially with the proliferation of Bluetooth enabled hardware devices. The documentation includes a detailed overview and sample source code for EmbeddedBlue projects with the BASIC Stamp 2 series, including interfacing to standard Bluetooth devices.
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Wireless, easy, not bluetooth, kinda-cheaper

Transceiver MiRF v2 - nRF24L01 Module
Price: $29.95
10-99: $26.96 each (10% off)
Description: The MiRF v2 is the latest in RF modules from SFE. This module uses the newest 2.4GHz transceiver from Nordic Semiconductor, the nRF24L01. This transceiver IC operates in the 2.4GHz band and has many new features! Take all the coolness of the nRF2401A and add some extra pipelines, buffers, and an auto-retransmit feature - very nice!
Because of lower costs and better performance, we recommend the RPSMA unit over the ceramic antenna units.
Features:
* On-board 3.3V LDO Regulator (3.3 to 7V supply allowed)
* On-board ceramic 2.4GHz Antenna
* 10m Range at 250kbps
* 2Mbit Data Rate
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Cheap and Simple
RF Link - 4800bps - 434MHz

Price: $14.95
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=7815#
Description: Sold as a transmitter and receiver pair. This receiver type is good for data rates up to 4800bps.
This wireless data is the easiest to use, lowest cost RF link we have ever seen! Use these components to transmit position data, temperature data, even current program register values wirelessly to the receiver. These modules have up to 500 ft range in open space. The receiver is operated at 5V and the transmitter operates from 2-12V. The higher the Voltage, the greater the range - see range test data in the documents section.
We have used these modules extensively and have been very impressed with their ease of use and direct interface to an MCU. The theory of operation is very simple. What the transmitter 'sees' on its data pin is what the receiver outputs on its data pin. If you can configure the UART module on a PIC, you have an instant wireless data connection. Data rates are limited to 4800bps.
KLP Walkthrough Tutorial [include arduino code]
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tradeoffs: cost vs speed vs easy-of-use vs sexiness vs interoperability vs size ---> let your application decide the right combination and solution.

Midterm Schedule

March 26
Present in class on the resistor, capacitors, and diodes you need to hook-up your parts. Update the class on your groups status.  

March 1st.
Haptic Group: Demonstrate at "black box" interface that has 1)directional motion  2)a "gun shoot" sensation 3)a breathing sensation.  Make and inanimate object animate.  Use foam-core or related easy-to-get prototyping material.
Accelerometer/Sound Group:  Have your "black box" build and ready to drop in parts.  Have code ready to go. Make sound effects for: 1) game start and game end  2)ball bounce  3)gun shoot  4)lullaby  [see piezo sensors or make your own]
Bluetooth Group: TBD
Screen Group: Have a "black box" with 3 knobs and 2 buttons.  Remake a simple Pong Game, and Space Invaders Game.  The 2 Buttons start and stop the game respectfully. Knob 1) moves a paddle on x-axis  Knob 2) moves a paddle on y-axis  Knob 3) "fires" a projectile.

March 5
Discussion "Calm Technology" reading in class.  Finalize and present your group's work and documenation.  Break into "second" groups and discuss how to play test and intergrate.

March 8
Begin to playtest and intergrate.

March 12
Playtest in class, and discuss.

March 15
Show functioning interface and play experience. User test with players. Observe.
Blog/publish documentation, include videos, code, photos, and text.

Rocketboom @ Toy Fair 2007

A really nice techy, hacky, and fun "best of" from the 2007 Toy Fair.
Link: Rocketboom.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Wii Mote Ads. very good.
Link: YouTube - Broadcast Yourself..

Flixster, peer reviews for movies

Flixster: Those looking for an alternative to Netflix’s peer reviews should check out this rapidly growing film-focused social networking site where users rate and discuss movies, directors and actors.
Link: Flixster.

Mike's Arduino Coding Session

Link: Arduino Coding Session | ####MIKE#EDWARDS####.

and http://a.parsons.edu/~medwards/?q=node/167

Arduino - Homework

Hi Folks,

As mentioned in class.  Your homework is to do your first Arduino project.  Everyone is responsible for one unquie project.  You can use any of the projects on the Arduino site for your project, as long as there is one switch and a minimum of 4 LED's.  Feel free to work in teams, but everyone must show a worked assignment for themselves.  Please blog a photo or video of your project before class on thrusday.
Link: Arduino - Tutorials.

-Y.

Jokes on Camera, Technology. and Culture