This senior/graduate level course is a practical and conceptual exploration into electronic sensors, processors and actuators in the context of interactive media. Based on the concept of “calm technologies” (Weiser, 1995), participants will create objects that move seamlessly from the periphery to the center of our attention. The resulting electronic objects expose layers of meaning through audio-visual responses to conditions of the human body, the environment, or data networks. The course will explore everyday objects as ambient interfaces for creative expression. Open-source hardware (Arduino) and software (Processing, PD) will be taught along with fundamentals of electronic circuitry.
The course is structured around a series of tutorials in the realm of software programming and physical computing, culminating in a final project. Emphasis will be given to the creative development (individual or collaborative) of projects that interrogate the notion of “calm technologies”, following an iterative design process (planning, prototyping, testing, analyzing, and refining). Throughout the duration of the course, participants use the class blog to collect and share resources and praxes with the class. To investigate creative works and individuals in the realm calm technologies and information arts, each participant presents a research report (due dates, see schedule), assigned at the beginning of the class. Students will also present work-in-progress and prototypes during class reviews, to receive qualitative feedback from the instructor and the class.
Evaluation
Assignments are invitations to invent and experiment. Creative and ambitious experiments will be evaluated high, while obvious and easily attained solutions are evaluated low. Participants are encouraged to leverage their individual backgrounds, and expected to excel in the respective context. The complexity of tutorials and assignments increases as the semester progresses. Students are required to collect their creative process for assignments in a personal sketchbook, shared periodically with the professor. While the sketchbook format is up to the students’ discretion, the process document must be available during all class sessions (feel free to utilize the class blog as well). Active contribution during class is required. You are expected to be resourceful to your peer students and seek help when needed. All exercises must be completed to pass the course. Assignments are only considered as completed when they are available on the class website. Final projects must be uploaded to the School of Art and Design website (http://ad.aa.uic.edu/login). Late assignments will reduce the grade proportionally.
Grading (% of final grade):10%: Exercise 1 – Processing 1: Exquisite Pixels 10%: Exercise 2 – Physical Computing 1: Basics 10%: Exercise 3 – Processing 2: Remote Control 10%: Exercise 4 – Physical Computing 2: Arduino 10%: Exercise 5: PD 10%: Exercise 6: Motion 10%: Research Report + Reading Responses + Blog Posts + Participation 30%: Final Project
AttendanceAttendance is mandatory and required for a successful completion of the course. Two unexcused absences will result in a reduction of the final grade by ½ letter grade, three unexcused absences by 1 letter grade, and four or more unexcused absences will result in failing the course. Absences are only considered as excused with the Professor’s prior permission before the class meeting (accompanied by appropriate documentation). It is generally recommended to drop the course with more than four absences. Late arrivals are very disruptive for other participants. Being late to class three times will count as one unexcused absence.
MaterialsEnrolled students will be provided with a basic Physical Computing kit, covered by the lab fees. Students are required to use – through purchase, lease or other means – a portable laptop computer, and software, to use in class and for the completion of course assignments. A DVL lab account is required and offers access to all lab computers, 700 MB storage space on the file server, as well as class ‘drop‘ and ‘pickup’ folders. File safety cannot be guaranteed so please make sure to use USB jump drives, iPods, external hard-drives etc. to back up your data. Loss or damage of data is not an acceptable explanation for late or missing assignments. Files saved on the desktop will not be available any more after logging out. PC compatible USB flash memory (min. 1 GB capacity) are a quick and easy way to transfer data without the use of a network.
Required SoftwareProcessing 1.2.1 ++ (free, cross-platform), available online at http://processing.org/download/ Arduino 18++ (free, cross-platform), available online at http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
Required Reading:Noble, Joshua (2009). Programming Interactivity: A Designer’s Guide to Processing, Arduino, and openFrameworks. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596154158/ (digital/searchable edition recommended)
Recommended Readings:Igoe, Tom (2007). Making Things Talk Practical: Methods for Connecting Physical Objects. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596510510/
Igoe, Tom, O'Sullivan, Dan (2004). Physical Computing: Sensing and Controlling the Physical World with Computers. Boston, MA: Course Technology PTR. http://www.courseptr.com/ptr_detail.cfm?group=General%20Interest&subcat=Consumer%20Personal%20Computing&isbn=978-1-59200-346-4
Fry, Ben (2007). Visualizing Data Exploring and Explaining Data with the Processing Environment. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514556/
Further Readings:Platt, Charles: Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596153755/
Reas, Casey & Fry, Ben (2007). Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists. London and Cambridge: The MIT Press. http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11251
Banzi, Massimo (2008). Getting Started with Arduino. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596155513/index.html
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