In this two-week module in Interactivity, students had to explore the interactive possibilities of a single component: a servo motor that is both an actuator and input device.
In Interactivity, students purposefully do not create concepts or solve problems, they are engaged with pure experimentation and building knowledge through design.
Scroller
Daniel Alfredsson & Igor Kovtun
Exploring pan and zoom navigation. By tilting the controller, one of three axes can be controlled.
The Remote Body
Erik Cronqvist & Robbin Hoogstrate
These experiments explored the sensation of ‘connection’ between one’s own body and an actuated appendage.
Controlling Control
Axel Gustafsson & Nathalie Strindlund
A series of sketches that explored notions of the machine “pushing back”, and controlling the user as the user attempted to control it. This is difficult to demonstrate in the video, because the servo motor’s movements are felt within the grasp of the hand.
Sound
Lisa Bolmsten & Elena Hsu
These experiments purposefully explored the sound of the servo motor, and how this might be accentuated or used to express behaviour.
A quick sketch to augment the sound of the servo
On-screen triangles have different behaviours. When a triangle is activated, the servo makes sound in concordance. The sound in this case is produced purely through its mechanical movement.
Colour
Anton Brottare & Martin Lindborg
In these concepts, the use of the servo was applied to select colour in a hypothetical drawing scenario. The colour picker can also move back, for example allowing the user to feel random colour variations produced by software.
Moving the servo changes the painting colour
The servo might have a behaviour of its own, randomly selecting colours.
Material meetings
Simon Richter & Sebastian Thorén
A series of explorations of material interfacing with the servo, primarily with magnetic particles.
