Interactive Light Forest
Concept
For the theme 'The Winter Playground' a model of a playful winter forest was created. Children are meant to interact with the trees, and so the lights start to play.
Goal
In the course Physical Interaction during my master we were asked to create a concept for play in the cold, dark and wet nordic winters. To encourage movement and social play.
How it works
By the use of a motion sensor, bend sensors and an Arduino uno the user can interact with the forest and receive visual feedback. By touching different trees different types of light feedback is given. See demo below for all the effects.
Experience
The project was made on a tight budget (900SEK). This made for interesting and creative solutions. Most of the money went to the Neopixel LED lights that were controlled by an Arduino uno. After playing around with different designs in earlier iterations (plexiglass and fabric), the final design was built with papier maché and chicken net. This way we were able to create the shapes we wanted in a fast yet beautiful way. The pearl curtain was procured from a group members home. If a full size version would be built it would be made out of rubber and wood. Watch the demo video below to see the building process.
Outcome
By visual feedback of the lights together with tactile feedback through touching the pearl curtains and the fiber light users enjoyed the experience of the forest. Children were more rough than adults which resulted in effective feedback.
People were positively surprised when they managed to trigger the 'rainbow effect'.
My role
UX/Interaction Design
Prototyping
Maker
Team: Emma Åkesson, Okra Livia Inkeri-Dimle, Vincent Giardina