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

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)

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

An adaptive architecture for presenting interactive media onto distributed interfaces

This paper introduces an adaptive architecture for presenting interactive timed media onto distributed networked devices. The architecture is put into the test in a storytelling application for children. The interactive story is documented in StoryML, an XML-based language, and presented to multiple interface devices organized in an agent-based architecture. This allows the separation of the content from concrete physical devices, the definition of abstract media objects and the automatic adaptation of the same content to different environments of physical devices. Since both the content and the interaction are timed, issues of streaming and synchronization in this architecture are also addressed.</p

Algoritmisch ritme: algorithmic art as material in an interactive dance-projection

Algoritmisch Ritme is an interactive dance installation that responds to the position of the body’s core. The projection is fractal art. This paper reports on the applied aesthetic principles, as well as on the applied equations. The result is an inspiring and responsive experience

Algoritmisch ritme: algorithmic art as material in an interactive dance-projection

Algoritmisch Ritme is an interactive dance installation that responds to the position of the body’s core. The projection is fractal art. This paper reports on the applied aesthetic principles, as well as on the applied equations. The result is an inspiring and responsive experience