tap plastics is building a great online collection of instructional videos: how to make latex, silicone and urethane molds, how to bend plastic, and the collection is growing here.
text-a-building
a cell phone can be used as a remote control to change the world around us: a number of projects reveal the potential of an SMS universal remote. IDEO built this interactive cube for vodafone in 2002 – it sits in the middle of a pond surrounded by offices, and in addition to playing news and entertainment on its 4 LED screens, onlookers can send SMS messages to the illuminated cube to display to their co-workers.
project blinkenlights has taken this idea into the city: by wiring up the lights in a building at night, they are able to create dot matrix displays from entire facades that can be designed by passersby with their SMS or through a handy open-source app that accepts animations. they have made simple graphics, buildings you can play pong on, and even grayscale videos.
Posted in architecture, visualization
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robo chairs
how soon will we have smart furniture? robotic seats already exist in a number of forms: dean kamen’s incredible ibot robotic wheelchair (top) not only balances on two wheels and tackles stairs; it allows the wheelchair-bound to interact with standing adults at eye level (watch this video). makes this japanese effort look downright complex (middle). on an artistic note, danish artist jeppe hein installed sliding benches at the los angeles MOCA’s ecstasy exhibit – once visitors sit on them they glide across the exhibit. he also installs furniture that produces fog (bottom) and fire.
Posted in evil robots
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robo rehab
robots are beginning to be used for a number of rehabilitation applications: teaching people to walk, regain muscle control after a stroke or spinal cord injury. the MIT active joint brace project (pictured) uses a wearable actuated brace to augment restricted movement at the elbow. this video is pretty amazing. they recently founded the company myomo to market their product and were awarded first place in the MIT 50K competition.
Posted in evil robots, livingbreathing
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wearable sunlight
we used to believe that natural light sets our circadian rhythm by affecting the eyes – which are full of photoreceptors. a 1998 study shows that the skin also serves to help set our biological clocks: scientists at cornell put a wearable fiberoptic brace on people’s knees under a blanket, and illuminated the skin on the back of their knees without them knowing. people wearing the brace responded as if they were exposed to sunlight, which might point the way to re-set the biological clock artificially while in the dark. it might also explain why laying in the sun always makes me so sleepy… the researchers also set up a company to sell light therapy products called apollo health.
Posted in soft/glowing
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touch therapy
we have a long history of using touch for therapy, but until now there was little proof of the medical effect of touch. researchers using a functionalMRI to observe activity in the brain report that acupuncture calms sensory, cognitive and emotional processing and can reduce pain. needles can also reduce migraines, but it doesn’t matter where they’re placed on the body.
Posted in perception
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heart beat
the music we listen to can have a direct impact on our hearts – especially for trained musicians. slow music tends to slow heart rate, and fast music tends to speed it up. and, it’s becoming possible to channel sound directly to the body without going through the ears. the buttkicker is an acoustic actuator that acts directly on the body, shaking it with the frequencies of the music.
via michael columbia
Posted in perception
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robo-toilet
in case anyone doesn’t know, the japanese have robotic toilets that can make you feel above it all: complete with in-seat ventilation, robotic bidet (for men or women, with adjustable aerated water temperature and pressure) and optional blow-drying, perfume and noise-making (for embarassing bathroom sounds) because these toilets don’t make noise when they flush. also available in a travel version. with movies.
Posted in evil robots
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