Design and semantics of form and movement (DeSForM 2006)

Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM) grew from applied research exploring emerging design methods and practices to support new generation product and interface design. The products and interfaces are concerned with: the context of ubiquitous computing and ambient technologies and the need for greater empathy in the pre-programmed behaviour of the ‘machines’ that populate our lives. Such explorative research in the CfDR has been led by Young, supported by Kyffin, Visiting Professor from Philips Design and sponsored by Philips Design over a period of four years (research funding £87k). DeSForM1 was the first of a series of three conferences that enable the presentation and debate of international work within this field: • 1st European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM1), Baltic, Gateshead, 2005, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. • 2nd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM2), Evoluon, Eindhoven, 2006, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. • 3rd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM3), New Design School Building, Newcastle, 2007, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. Philips sponsorship of practice-based enquiry led to research by three teams of research students over three years and on-going sponsorship of research through the Northumbria University Design and Innovation Laboratory (nuDIL). Young has been invited on the steering panel of the UK Thinking Digital Conference concerning the latest developments in digital and media technologies. Informed by this research is the work of PhD student Yukie Nakano who examines new technologies in relation to eco-design textiles

Commutative product semantics

This article describes a structured axiomatic theory in which important practical phenomena of product semantics can be described and analyzed. The approach includes and extends the well-known semiotic notions of icon, symbol and index. Several small-scale case studies illustrate the theory

Prisoner's dilemma in software testing

In this article the problem of software testing is modeled as a formal strategic game. It is found that for certain values of the productivity and reward parameters the game is essentially equivalent to the Prisoner's Dilemma. This means that the game has a unique Nash equilibrium, which is not optimal for both players, however. Two formal games are described and analyzed in detaiJ, both capturing certain (though not all) aspects of real software testing procedures. Some of the literature on the Prisoner's Dilemma is reviewed and the r

Mechanisms for naming An algebraic approach with an application to Java

AbstractThe present paper investigates the hypothesis that a variety of mechanisms for naming can be understood as algebraic concepts. These concepts are developed and then they are applied to aspects of Java to see whether indeed they lead to compact characterizations of the language's mechanisms for naming. Focus is on object oriented themes: inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation

Designing Fractal Line Pied-de-poules: A Case Study in Algorithmic Design Mediating between Culture and Fractal Mathematics

Millions of people own and wear pied-de-poule (houndstooth) garments. The pattern has an intriguing basic figure and a typical set of symmetries. The origin of the pattern lies in a specific type of weaving. In this article I apply computational techniques to modernize this ancient decorative pattern. In particular I describe a way to enrich pied-de-poule with a fractal structure. Although a first fractal line pied-de-poule was shown at Bridges 2015, a number of fundamental questions still remained. The following questions are addressed in this article: Does the original pied-de-poule appear as a limit case when the fractal structure is increasingly refined? Can we prove that the pattern is regular in the sense that one formula describes all patterns? What is special about pied-de-poule when it comes to making these fractals? Can the technique be generalized? The results and techniques in this article anticipate a fashion future in which decorative patterns, including pied-de-poule, will be part of our global culture, as they are now, but rendered in more refined ways and using new technologies. These new technologies include digital manufacturing technologies such as laser-cutting and 3D printing, but also computational and mathematical tools such as Lindenmayer rules (originally devised to describe the algorithmic beauty of plants)

Teaching geometrical principles to design students

We propose a new method of teaching the principles of geometry to design students. The students focus on a field of design in which geometry is the design: tessellation. We review different approaches to geometry and the field of tessellation before we discuss the setup of the course. Instead of employing 2D drawing tools, such as Adobe Illustrator, the students define their tessellation in mathematical formulas, using the Mathematica software. This procedure enables them to understand the mathematical principles on which graphical tools, such as Illustrator are built upon. But we do not stop at a digital representation of their tessellation design we continue to cut their tessellations in Perspex. It moves the abstract concepts of math into the real world, so that the students can experience them directly, which provides a tremendous reward to the students

Actuating movement in refined wearables

Nowadays it is quite possible to deploy textiles as sensors and avoid traditional hard sensors. Actuation (movement) turns out more difficult. It is advantageous to combine sensing and actuation, similar to ecological perception theory. Although several actuators are known: SMA, voice coil, motors, they all have significant disadvantages. Materials: we explored new ways of using electric motors in feedback loops together with textile sensors (modified servos). Approach: together with Industrial Design (Eindhoven University of Technology, TU/e) and Fashion (Utrecht School of Arts, HKU) students we followed a hands-on approach to come to inspired innovative fashion: garments capable of mechanical change, showing dynamic forms or adapting to the person wearing it. Findings: we obtained six very different concepts, themes ranging from defence, attraction, using daylight, playfulness to breathing and dancing. The noise of the mechanism can strengthen the intended semantics – sometimes it is a problem. The conductive yarn sensors are useful, yet introduce calibration challenges. We have short video-clips of the results which we shall show during our presentation. Implications and relevance: our examples show the potential of actuation as a new semantic language, which will become even more important when new technologies will help us overcome the present-day actuator limitations. Conclusions and recommendations: our students enjoy this way of learning about electronics, programming and video making immensely while also learning about fashion and aesthetics. A new dynamic language is waiting to be discovered. We will share our findings and future propositions for activated fashion

Calm Technology for Biofeedback: Why and How?

We discuss several possibilities and fundamental difficulties when designing biofeedback systems based on calm technology. As a carrier for the discussion, we develop a novel biofeedback installation based on heart rate variability (HRV). The system is built-in to an elegant table and gives visual feedforward or feedback for relaxation based on breathing. When in feedforward mode, the system will show a sine wave of about 7 cycles per second, close to the well-known resonant breathing frequency. Alternatively, the amplitude of the movement can give feedback on the heart rate variability level, which is known to be directly associated with a reduced level of mental stress. The demonstrator has a pulse-plethysmography sensor which measures the beat-to-beat intervals of successive heart beats. The mechanical design of the actuator is designed to operate completely noiseless. Both the adaptive algorithm and the actuator are new to the best of our knowledge. Still new fundamental questions arise