2. sometimes the layout of
apartments is confusing.
bizarre jutting-out walls
areas prone to
foot-traffic bottlenecks
incomprehensible light switch
locations and functionality
case in point:
my apartment.
3. seriously though. WHAT is
that light switch doing there?!
TO GET TO THE KITCHEN/BATH YOU HAVE TO:
avoid roommate debris in
complete darkness
walk halfway to the kitchen
before you even get to the
[horribly-placed] light switch
TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, YOU END UP:
hobbling through the
dark like an octogenarian
my late night trips to the kitchen/bath:
a traffic flow diagram
4. it’s not just me.
let’s consider a plausible floorplan for a 2-BR apartment in NYC.
at first it doesn’t look so hard to get around...
5. ...until you add furniture.
and what if you have a messy roomate (human, dog or otherwise)?
6. traversing this 2-BR just got a lot harder—
getting to the bathroom and kitchen is full of obstacles!
7. let’s look at the traffic flow from Bedroom 1:
not horrible... (unless your dog likes sleeping in hallways)
8. but now let’s look at the path from Bedroom 2:
getting to the facilities = much more of a challenge
9. now, let’s imagine this minefield—in the dark.
if only we had some way to help out poor Roommate 2...
10. ...by illuminating safe routes to the most important facilities.
::sigh:: my stubbed toes feel better already.
11. some common reasons we
might make the trek:
up late working or studying [or
preparing presentations...]
that late-night snack or
a 3am glass of water
nighttime trips to the bathroom
a much-needed break from your
trusty soldering iron
many people have to make a similar nightly trip through the darkness.
especially DT students!
12. reasons not to just leave
all the lights on (or get
another [closer] lamp):
energy costs (both financial and
environmental)
roomates or guests that are
sleeping nearby while
you’re up working
not wanting to fully wake up if
just out of bed to grab a quick
drink or bathroom trip
13. how can we augment our living space
to make these late-night journeys less treacherous?
15. IR sensors throughout ceiling panels sense your presence...
...triggering lights directly above you to turn on
16. precedent 2: airline emergency lighting systems
lights guide you to safety by illuminating exit route
17. precedent 3: Sleeping Beauty—the glowing orb
the ultimate in glowing route indicators
18. MELLOW
FOLLOW THE
[BRICK] GLOW
and now, introducing...
the proposed product and options for implementation
19. your ceiling is now your guardian angel...or at least your
own personal wilderness guide.
your entire ceiling becomes a grid of infrared
sensors—in effect, your ceiling “knows” the
location of all the stationary objects in the room
the ceiling also contains a series of projectors
that use the data captured by the IR sensors to
display projections related to objects in the room
by tracking your movement with relation to the
mapped objects, your ceiling can assist you in
your treacherous journey by “communicating”
through projections
proposed solution:
a ‘smart’ home environment to augment your senses
20. “ One way to begin thinking about these questions is to
approach the design of augmented space as an architectural
problem. Augmented space provides a challenge and an
opportunity for many architects to rethink their practice,
since architecture will have to take into account the fact that
from now on, virtual layers of contextual information will
overlay built space.”
Lev Manovich, “The Poetics of Augmented Space: The Art of Our Time”
a seamless synthesis of digital augmentation and architecture:
the system dictates the form of the space, not just a layer
22. ID Tag
ID Tag
ID Tag let your ceiling
guide you to where you go most
ID Tag
attach id transmitter tags to key locations in
your home that you know you’ll need to find
in the dark (like the fridge, bathroom, sink,
light switches, etc)
the system will automatically project paths
ID Tag
to these locations when it senses your
movement
the path will only light up near you, but
will add “stones” as you go—additional
ID Tag directions will appear as you approach a
ID Tag divergence point
implementation 2: “connect the dots”
turn your predicted traffic patterns into stepping stones
23. take a load off:
don’t have to avoid collisions, just follow the stone path
24. easy to see...even half-asleep without your glasses.
just stay on that blurry lit path and you’ll get there safely
25. FOLLOW THE MELLOW [BRICK] GLOW
subtle collision warning illuminated stone path
only gives you warning when the user might not need or even
you’re nearing disaster, so you want to have their hand held
still have to be somewhat on alert in such a simple task—or they
(and would still walk slowly) might just prefer a night light
light shines on what you don’t more energy consuming due
want to walk towards, which to the multiple sensors and
might hinder your night vision projectors
when it comes to seeing the
things you do want to aim for
potential weaknesses of the two “settings”
a trade-off between minimalism and ease of use [even while stupid]
26. FOLLOW THE MELLOW [BRICK] GLOW
subtle collision warning illuminated stone path
uses less power gives you knowledge of what’s
coming so your brain can prepare,
treats you “like an adult” allowing you to go faster
(no hand-holding)
more visible, an advantage for people
a more subtle and unobtrusive with less mobility, poor eye sight, and
treatment for small children, etc
could borrow the tagging concept allows you to tag frequently visited
from the path implementation and areas to customize the experience
illuminate potential destinations
as you approach gives the illusion of “magic”
strengths of the two implementations/settings:
low-energy cost elegance vs. fun and wonderment
27. FOLLOW THE MELLOW [BRICK] GLOW
overall weaknesses
would be prohibitively expensive to
actually implement with current
technology. (unfortunately money does
not grow on trees....yet.)
the level of technology is a bit like
swatting a fly with a sledgehammer—
at the end of the day, a night light
could solve many of these problems.
28. FOLLOW THE MELLOW [BRICK] GLOW
overall strengths
using this augmented space would be,
if I may say so myself, totally sweet
while technological overkill, creates a
sense of wonderment and magic that
is often missing from our daily lives
not financially viable with current
technology, but the technology does
exist—perhaps more feasible in future
![MELLOW
FOLLOW THE
[BRICK] GLOW
Nighttime protection for you...And your shins.
Liz Rutledge | February 24, 2011| Major Studio: Interactivity](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/rutledge-augmentedspace-presentation-110319023550-phpapp01/85/Follow-the-Mellow-Brick-Glow-An-Augmented-Space-Project-1-320.jpg)
