christian nold creates maps of his emotions as he walks around. he carries a gps unit (for location) and a galvanic skin response sensor (to detect stress) and maps the resulting data on an aerial view of the city. nice, but the most ’emotional’ situations involve deciding which way to turn, reading newspaper headlines and dealing with traffic. maybe the bio-sensors could be coupled to devices to inform or mitigate stressful situations.
emo-map
Posted in perception
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retail games
reactrix has been making interactive installations for retail spaces. they use a ceiling-mounted projector and camera to generate graphics on the ground that respond to people walking by. the games have been shown to increase the appeal of the space and products, even though the projected content is sometimes unrelated to the brand.
Posted in marketing
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tracking coat
recco makes avalanche detection systems consisting of a rugged chip embedded in snow clothes and a radio detector carried by rescue workers. the north face makes a series of pants and jackets with the devices, which feel like a small lump of rubber. in reality these are probably RFID chips powered by a remote detector – with a reported range of 30 meters through snow. this also means that anyone wearing these clothes can be tracked by anyone anywhere.
Posted in surveillance
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augmented trashcan
flotsam by eric paulos is an augmented trash can that projects its contents onto the street. part of this ‘research’ is a stalk-ography of users and passersby.
Posted in product design, visualization
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neat freaks
humanbeans are famous for their pizza box laptop case. they also have a series of product concepts to address our obsession with germs: release (a pill that washes you and your clothes from the inside out), mr germy (a germ-impregnated teething toy for boosting the immune system), atomdusta (for dusting between individuals atoms), wash bomb (for a truly powerful clean) and visigerm (i can’t believe it’s still dirty!).
Posted in guerilla, possessed products
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electronic noses
electronic smell sensors are being developed by the jpl and a company called znose. since smell is made of parts per billion of air, these have the potential to detect physical compounds that no other sensor can. they are in use to check food for spoilage and luggage for explosives. in the works are systems to test for tuberculosis, bacteria, indoor air quality, lung cancer, land mines, organ transplant compatibility, air and water pollution, biological and chemical weapons, plastics, even illegal drugs better than dogs! soon they will probably be able to test for identity and emotions through smell, or even tell if you’re lying…
Posted in perception
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decoy bum
mark jenkins was the creator of the urban plastic giraffe – this is part of a series call the ’embeds’ series – social commentary and possible technology for sociology?
Posted in guerilla
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container store
my favorite architects LOT/EK have designed this mobile kiosk for japanese clothing store UNIQLO which i saw at a street fair in new york yesterday – it is made from a small shipping container with slots cut out for windows, a pneumatic entranceway and this ingenious drop-down dressing room (right). it’s a great way to both shop and ship, letting you explore the products of global trade inside its mainstay, the container.