Future visioning system for designing and developing new product concepts in the consumer electronics industries

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis discusses development of a future visioning system model that can be adopted to create new product concepts for consumer electronics companies operating in a highly competitive business environment. The research work investigates consumer electronic product companies and their market environment to identify problematic issues and indicates that a proactive new product strategy which opens new markets through developing concept-led products is a strategic priority, thus the concept development stage in new product development process is in need of improvement. An evaluation of existing concept development tools for the purpose of proactive product strategy is presented and concludes that future visioning procedure is the most appropriate tool. To develop a future visioning system model as a concept development tool, the theoretical future visioning system models are analysed and mapped to extract essential structure and contents of future visioning procedure. The consequent future visioning system model is then revised according to the findings and suggestions from the field research work which investigated four major consumer electronics product companies in practice. The findings also validates the necessity of adopting a proactive product strategy and evaluates acceptability of the future visioning system model for practical use. The final future visioning system model is defined after the opinions of the design managers are considered and applied. The major suggestions from the research findings are: (1) Executing proactive product strategy can be a valuable strategic tool (2) A new process is necessary for the companies to create one-step-ahead product (3) Future visioning system is recommended as an advanced approach that creates new product concept. (4) Future visioning system model should consist of eight stages: project initiation, environmental scanning, future visioning, generating product concepts, scenario planning, concept testing, concept visualisation, and finalized concepts. (5) Product concepts can be generated from future vision by applying backcasting. (6) Scenario planning should be used in the future visioning system model as a concept testing tool providing objective validating criteria. (7) Executing a future visioning system model creates new roles for the designer such as information integrator, process moderator, and futurist

Objects in flux: the consumer modification of mass-produced goods

This research investigates practices of object modification with specific focus on the consumer modification of mass-produced goods. Such practices present a diverse array of activity, ranging from car customisation to the remaking of domestic appliances. As an amateur leisure-time pursuit, these practices typically operate outside the commercial processes of design and manufacture. As such, they are often positioned as deviant interventions or interruptions to the object’s ‘normal’ operation and may be actively suppressed by manufacturers. Despite this marginalised status practices of object modification represent a large body of productive activity operating within contemporary society. Taking a participatory approach, this research develops a number of ‘hacking’ and ‘modding’ projects that connect with online communities and mirror existing traditions within practices of object modification. What emerges from this engagement is a complex story, or rather a number of overlapping stories that speak of the relationships we form with objects and the affordances given within contemporary society for reshaping these relationships. The stories told here trace the forces that bind consumer practices and the lines of flight by which consumers and objects escape their socially normalised position to become something other. Through this research the homogenous, mass-produced object is revealed as a site of diverse activity, a space for shared experience, and a platform for communal experimentation

Dossier spécial “Acteur/Machines”

International audienceBilingual issue French/EnglishAlone on stage, playing with an actor or evenhybridising themselves with the performers’bodies, machines—automatons, robots, computersor simple mechanisms—perform onstage. They become multiform and partakein all creative levels. F rom acting-machinesto the machine-actor, from machine plays tomachine code, from flying machines to therise of the machines, a whole section of theperforming arts is now enjoying, with the adventof digital technology, of artificial intelligenceprogrammes and of remote controlling,a spectacular revival.With Louis-Phillipe Demers, Bill Vorn, Heiner Goebbels, Kris Verdonck, Antoine Schmidt, TransquinquennalÉdition bilingue français / anglaisSeules en scène, donnant la réplique, ou encores’hybridant avec les corps des interprètes, lesmachines – qu’elles soient automates, robots,ordinateurs ou simples mécanismes – jouent authéâtre. La machine se conjugue au pluriel et sedéplace sur tous les plans de la création. D esmachines actricesà l’acteur machine, des piècesà machine au langage machine, des machines àvoler à la révolte des machines, c’est tout un pandes arts de la scène qui, à l’heure du numérique,des programmes d’intelligence artificielle et dela commande à distance, trouve un renouveauspectaculaire.Avec Louis-Phillipe Demers, Bill Vorn, Heiner Goebbels, Kris Verdonck, Antoine Schmidt, Transquinquenna

Creating illusion in computer aided performance

This thesis studies the creation of illusion in computer aided performance. Illusion is created here by using deceptions, and a design framework is presented which suggests several different deception strategies which may be useful. The framework has been developed in an iterative process in tandem with the development of 3 real world performances which were used to explore deception strategies. The first case study presents a system for augmenting juggling performance. The techniques that were developed to control this system demonstrate how deception may become useful even when the core of the performance is not deceptive in any way. This is followed by a magic performance called the Cup Game, which was designed to explicitly test the strategies of deception described in the framework. The final case study is an interactive art installation which presents the illusion of a pet rock that lives in a cage. This demonstrates the usefulness of suspension of disbelief in the creation of illusions. It also demonstrates interesting social effects that are used to strengthen this suspension of disbelief. The idea of creating the impression of a false situation is inspired particularly by previous HCI work on public interaction. This work demonstrated the usefulness of hiding interface use or computer outputs from some people in a situation. The creation of deliberately ambiguous computer interfaces, which allow for a wider variety of interpretations to be made by the user has also been described. The work here goes beyond these techniques to use technology to actively create false impressions. The techniques used in this process are guided by the work of magic performers, and by psychological studies of how magic performance works. As well as artistic performance, it is envisaged that this work may prove applicable to more traditional situations. In addition to the framework itself, the development of the case studies has created several useful algorithms which have wider applications. The case studies are also useful guides for those creating performance systems, or other systems where deceptive techniques may be useful

Creating illusion in computer aided performance

This thesis studies the creation of illusion in computer aided performance. Illusion is created here by using deceptions, and a design framework is presented which suggests several different deception strategies which may be useful. The framework has been developed in an iterative process in tandem with the development of 3 real world performances which were used to explore deception strategies. The first case study presents a system for augmenting juggling performance. The techniques that were developed to control this system demonstrate how deception may become useful even when the core of the performance is not deceptive in any way. This is followed by a magic performance called the Cup Game, which was designed to explicitly test the strategies of deception described in the framework. The final case study is an interactive art installation which presents the illusion of a pet rock that lives in a cage. This demonstrates the usefulness of suspension of disbelief in the creation of illusions. It also demonstrates interesting social effects that are used to strengthen this suspension of disbelief. The idea of creating the impression of a false situation is inspired particularly by previous HCI work on public interaction. This work demonstrated the usefulness of hiding interface use or computer outputs from some people in a situation. The creation of deliberately ambiguous computer interfaces, which allow for a wider variety of interpretations to be made by the user has also been described. The work here goes beyond these techniques to use technology to actively create false impressions. The techniques used in this process are guided by the work of magic performers, and by psychological studies of how magic performance works. As well as artistic performance, it is envisaged that this work may prove applicable to more traditional situations. In addition to the framework itself, the development of the case studies has created several useful algorithms which have wider applications. The case studies are also useful guides for those creating performance systems, or other systems where deceptive techniques may be useful

Digital Theatre: A "Live" and Mediated Art Form Expanding Perceptions of Body, Place, and Community

This work discusses Digital Theatre, a type of performance which utilizes both "live" actors and co-present audiences along with digital media to create a hybrid art form revitalizing theatre for contemporary audiences. This work surveys a wide range of digital performances (with "live" and digital elements, limited interactivity/participation and spoken words) and identifies the group collectively as Digital Theatre, an art form with the flexibility and reach of digital data and the sense of community found in "live" theatre. I offer performance examples from Mark Reaney, David Saltz, Troika Ranch, Gertrude Stein Repertory Theatre, Flying Karamazov Brothers, Talking Birds, Yacov Sharir, Studio Z, George Coates Performance Group, and ArtGrid. (The technologies utilized in performances include: video-conferencing, media projection, MIDI control, motion capture, VR animation, and AI). Rather than looking at these productions as isolated events, I identify them as a movement and link the use of digital techniques to continuing theatrical tradition of utilizing new technologies on the stage. The work ties many of the aesthetic choices explored in theatrical past by the likes of Piscator, Svoboda, Craig, and in Bauhaus and Futurist movements. While it retains the essential qualities of public human connection and imaginative thought central to theatre, Digital Theatre can cause theatrical roles to merge as it extends the performer's body, expands our concept of place, and creates new models of global community

Aibo JukeBox : a robot dance interactive experience

This paper presents a human-robot interaction system based on the Aibo platform. This robot is both, complex and empathetic enough to generate a high level of interest from the user. The complete system is an interactive JukeBox intending to generate affective participation, i.e., empathy, from the user towards the robot and its behavior. This application is based on a robotic dance control system that generates movements adequate to the music rhythm using a stochastic controller. The user can interact with the system selecting or providing the songs to be danced by the robot. The application has been successfully presented in different non-scientific scenarios.Peer Reviewe

Aibo JukeBox : a robot dance interactive experience

This paper presents a human-robot interaction system based on the Aibo platform. This robot is both, complex and empathetic enough to generate a high level of interest from the user. The complete system is an interactive JukeBox intending to generate affective participation, i.e., empathy, from the user towards the robot and its behavior. This application is based on a robotic dance control system that generates movements adequate to the music rhythm using a stochastic controller. The user can interact with the system selecting or providing the songs to be danced by the robot. The application has been successfully presented in different non-scientific scenarios.Peer Reviewe