Designing for perceptual crossing : applying and evaluating design notions

In this paper we describe our research on how to design for perceptual crossing between person and artefact. We present the design-research process, the design and evaluation of the designed artefact PeP+, short for perception pillar plus, and the generated design relevant knowledge. In our previous research we formulated a number of design notions, namely Focus the Senses, Active Behaviour Object, Subtleness, Reaction to External Event, Detecting Active Behaviour Subject, Reflecting Contextual Noise and Course of Perception in Time. These notions are relevant for designing perceptive activity in an artefact to allow for perceptual crossing between a person and this artefact. The person is able to get the feeling of sharing a common space with the artefact: to feel involved. To further investigate these design notions we reconsidered and implemented them in the design of PeP+. We discuss how the different design notions are applied in the artefact and show their relevance in an experiment. In this experiment we compare three behaviours, namely random, following and active, of PeP+ that are the result of the development of the design notions. The experiment gave insights into the development of the design notions and the experience of the person. This research uses phenomenology as a theoretical framework. Theory is used as inspiration and is the basis for synthesis

Meaning in motion : towards the creation of embodied movement

Contemporary cognitive science and neuroscience offer us some rather precise insights into the mechanisms that are responsible for certain body movements. In this paper, we argue that this knowledge may be highly relevant to the design of meaningful movement and behavior, both from a theoretical and practical point of view. Taking the example of a leech, we investigate and identify the basic principles of "embodied movement" that govern the motion of this simple creature, and argue that the development and adoption of a design methodology that incorporates these principles right from the start, may be the best way forward, if one wants to realize and design movements with certain desirable characteristics

Observable types : a computational approach to meaning

In this paper we argue that problems that relate to 'intensionality' can be avoided if one adopts a purely computational approach to meaning, which does not limit itself to formal computations, but includes an account of observation of an independent external reality. We indicate how the knowledge of an agent that may be equipped with certain observational primitives, can be represented in an intensional framework like type theory in such a way that it only reflects the observational distinctions that the agent himself is able to make, given his personal conceptual framework and his observational abilities. We briefly discuss how this approach can deal with problems relating to coreference and nonexistent objects

Mr. Pong!

No abstract

Observable types : a computational approach to meaning

In this paper we argue that problems that relate to 'intensionality' can be avoided if one adopts a purely computational approach to meaning, which does not limit itself to formal computations, but includes an account of observation of an independent external reality. We indicate how the knowledge of an agent that may be equipped with certain observational primitives, can be represented in an intensional framework like type theory in such a way that it only reflects the observational distinctions that the agent himself is able to make, given his personal conceptual framework and his observational abilities. We briefly discuss how this approach can deal with problems relating to coreference and nonexistent objects