November 10, 2007
Meet me at Makers' Square
"The Maker Faire team is joining forces with Felt Club for the upcoming
Felt Club XL Holiday event - Sunday, November 18 th from 11am-6pm on
the Los Angeles City College campus (855 N Vermont Ave, LA CA 90029)..."
[via BarCamp LA mailing list]
Here's my abstract:
"My contribution to Maker Square will be wearable computing hacks for PDAs. My focus will be on two devices I am hacking right now that can be used as independent wearable computing platforms that can also be combined together. The two devices are more than just PDAs. One is an Archos PMA-430 PVR with A/V I/O, and the other is a Nokia N95 Smartphone with A/V I/O and Video output. I will mostly discuss hardware hacks for interfacing with the devices' I/O capabilities to create wearable computing configurations. This includes reverse engineering, custom connector kit-bashing and cloning, body mounts, on-body networks, and video connections for HMDs and cameras. I will bring a wearable harness I created for the Archos, a custom connector adaptor I created, documentation of iterative hacks, my OATH (Obligatory Altoids Tin Hack) USB Hub/Ethernet/antenae array interface, and will be conspiring live against my Nokia. I will also discuss the shift in approach between the hacks of the two devices, and how it relates to user interface design and software."
They're still accepting proposals; information below:
"This family-friendly event will feature 70+ amazing crafters,
delicious food and great music, plus an all-new section called MAKER
SQUARE, a miniature version of Maker Faire ! (Felt Club is a twice-
yearly indie craft fair featuring the best and brightest of the SoCal
craft scene. Our carefully juried shows highlight a wide variety of
handmade goods, including handbags and jewelry, baby gifts and paper
products, clothing and housewares, one-of-a-kind plushies and original
artwork. In between shows, we host a variety of craft-related events
around the city, including how-to workshops, craft supply swaps, and
more - www.feltclub.com ).
Maker Square is organized by the staff of Make and Craft magazines and
is a mini-fair that brings together science, art, craft and
engineering in a fun, energized and exciting public forum. The aim is
to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become
makers. We will showcase the amazing work of all kinds of makers--
anyone who is embracing DIY and wants to share their accomplishments
with an appreciative audience.
We encourage you to join the fun and enter a project to exhibit. You
can submit you entry by sending an email to sherry@oreilly.com. In
your Maker Square entry request, please tell us about yourself and
your project. Entries can be submitted from individuals as well as
from groups such as hobbyist clubs and schools. Please provide a short
description of what you make and what you will actually bring to Maker
Square. Please provide links to photographs or videos of what you
make. Maker exhibits should be non-commercial. We particularly
encourage exhibits that are interactive and that highlight the process
of making things. Please remember that our space is outdoors and we
do not have access to electricity.
Here's some suggested ideas for topics that we're looking for:
Things Made From Recycled Items
Microcontrollers
Robotics
Making Musical Instruments
Bicycle Hacks
Ham Radio
Puzzles, Games and Toys
Cars (hot rods, custom vans, electric vehicles)
Airplanes and Aeronautics (models, etc)
Biology/Biotech
Chemistry
Cool RC Toys & Mods
Video Games (retro, home arcade and more)
Model Trains and Planes
Weaving/Looms (historical or unusual)
Kites
Temporary Structures (Tents, Domes, etc.)
Unusual Tools or Machines
How to Fix Things or Take them Apart (Vacuums, Clocks, Washing
Machines, etc.)
Maker Square Space: Our standard setup for each Maker is roughly a
10x10 space. Use this space to display your work and/or demonstrate
how you make something. You will need to bring your own tables and
chairs.
NOTE: Makers whose entries are accepted will receive free admission to
Felt Club/Maker Square. However, we cannot pay for transportation and
accommodations. Makers do not pay a fee to exhibit at Felt Club/Maker
Square and maker exhibits are non-commercial.
If you have any questions about participating in Maker Faire, please
contact us by email: sherry@oreilly.com
We look forward to seeing you at Felt Club XL Holiday/Maker Square on
November 18th in Los Angeles!
Best,
Sherry Huss
Director
707-827-7074
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jenny Ryan
FELT CLUB
e: info@feltclub.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
web: http://www.feltclub.com
blog: http://www.feltclub.com/news/index.php
myspace: http://myspace.com/feltclub
flickr: http://flickr.com/groups/feltclub/
"
August 25, 2006
FluxBits: Wearable game interfaces
In the traditional type of gaming experience a designer designs the type of experience that player will have. FluxBits are wearable game interfaces that transform objects around into controls for the game you are playing. Meta controllers such as FluxBits allow for an Open Design approach to gaming, where traditional gaming doesn't.
For instance, you could use a clip board as a steering wheel for a driving game or an umbrella as a joy stick. It's completely up to the user. FluxBits are worn on the person and accompany the individual through out the day, enabling game play to take place where ever the user wants. The individual FluxBit pieces form an ad-hoc network, communicating with a central mobile device, which would be used as the display during game play.
FluxBits translates the movement of the object into directions for the video game and sends this to the display device. Here the player is using a bus strap to play Pac-Man with her Nintendo DS.
Once someone has used an object, they can mark the object with a sticker to indicate to other players how it might be turned into a game interface. Example: A player puts a FluxBit sticker on a bus strap, indicating where a FluxBit can be attached for playing. Also, each sticker that is attached to an object has associated with it a scorecard, listing who has played here and their hi-score. This scorecard is accessed with a mobile phone, using a tracking ID or RFID tag on the sticker itself. When players find a sticker, they can see who has played there and what are the hi-scores to beat. By playing a game at this location, the player’s own records are updated on the scorecard. Dedicated players can request a map of the city with tagged gaming locations and spend a day seeking out these locations to play.
There are more possibilities here in terms of the form of these FluxBits. But the developer is satisfied right now with rather abstract images of the fashion accessory handcuff.
Right now prototypes exist as hardware clamps:
Here is a video of the FluxBits being used in it's prototype phase:
[ Link ]
February 06, 2006
Technical details on Spy Gear Night Vision Goggles
The Spy Gear Night Vision Goggles generated quite a lot of interest in the wearable community since it's basically a very low cost (~$50 USD) eyetap / wearable display. I originally posted about this back in September, but the wear-hard mailing list went down, keeping the wear-hackers from communicating with each other.
The four-wire ribbon cable between the camera and the display board appears to carry the following signals:Brown: Video Signal
Red & Orange: +5 volts
Yellow: GroundI removed the brown wire completely and attached halves of a video cable with RCA connectors on the ends. The shield of the video cable went to the ends of the yellow wire (ground) in the display, and the
center conductor was soldered in place where the brown wire (video signal)
used to be.This way, I can use a RCA cable butt connector to hook the camera and display back together, or seperate them and put a computer in the middle.
Everything works, in that I can get video output from the camera on my Commodore 64 monitor and can send a picture to the display from a spare video camera. There is one small snag, though.
The entire device is built UPSIDE DOWN in relation to the wearer's head! The video comes out of the camera with top and bottom reversed. The cyberdisplay is installed upside down, so everything looks right side up.
I think this was done so that the ribbon cable for the cyberdisplay would point into the body of the device rather than off to the other side.
[ Quote from Abe on the wear-hard mailing list ]
Update
I just got off the phone with the PR Manager for Wild Planet, the company that produces these. Unfortunately they are no longer producing them, and they do not know of any companies that have them in stock. This is a bit of a blow as I personally was looking to buy one of these. Hopefully they'll come around at some point and start making these again. -nym
June 28, 2005
Mmm, Anarticamobile
It also comes with an unmanned pathfinder which travels on a GPS controlled route ahead of the main unit. The pathfinder is secured by a 30m umbilical cord and uses ground-penetrating radar to assess risk."
Oh I have no excuse to actually own one of these, but I want one so. Reminds me of the newest Batmobile.
[ Link via we-make-money-not-art. ]
July 09, 2004
Locative Games
Looking to have some fun? We-make-money-not-art just republished a list of locative games that was posted to the locative mailing list. The list was compiled by Mjriam Struppeck from interactionfield in Bauwelt, (a german architecture Magazine). There's even some games I wasn't aware of, and I'm supposed to be writing an article for o'reilly on the subject!
[Link via we-make-money-not-art]
Verizon Wireless has even gotten into the game. The complete list is below after the jump.
Pac-Manhattan, by Dennis Crowley, Frank Lantz (instructor) and others
http://pacmanhattan.com
Location: Manhattan, New York, USA - 2004
Navigate the Streets, by Level 28 Brands
http://www.navigatethestreets.com
Location: Several Cities in Canada - 2004
I Like Frank in Adelaide, by Blast Theory
http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/frank/play.php
Location: Adelaide, Australia - 2004
Pirates!, by PLAY research studio, Interactive Institute
http://play.tii.se/projects/pirates/index.html
Location: HUC conference in Bristol, UK - August 2000
CitiTag, by HP Labs, the Open University's Knowledge Media Institute (KMi)
http://cnm.open.ac.uk/projects/cititag
Location: Bristol, UK - 2004
Undercover, by YDreams
http://www.playundercover.com/index.jsp
Location: Hong Kong / Portugal - since 2003
Uncle Roy All Around You, by Blast Theory
http://www.uncleroyallaroundyou.co.uk
Location: London, UK - 2003
Can You See Me Now?, by Blast Theory
http://www.canyouseemenow.co.uk
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands, March - 2003
Mogi, Newt Games
http://www.mogimogi.com
Location: Tokyo, Japan - since 2003
, by Amy Hung
http://a.parsons.edu/~awhung/thesis
Location: Times Square, NYC, USA - 2003
Urban Challenge, by Verizon Wireless
http://www.urbanchallenge.com
Location: Several Cities in USA - since 2002
NodeRunner, by Yury Gitman, Carlos J. Gomez de Llarena
http://www.uncommonprojects.com/noderunner
Location: NYC, USA - since 2002
The Go Game, by Wink Back, Inc.
http://www.thegogame.com/brownie/index.asp
Location: San Francisco, USA - since 2001
MobileHunt, by HIPnTASTY
http://www.mobilehunt.com/about.asp
Location: USA and Canada - since 2001
Cutlass - Treasure Hunt, by DCA Productions, Steve Bull (CEO)
http://ctlss.com/treasure_hunt/html/main.html
Location: Times Square, NYC, USA - since 2001
GunSlingers, Mikoishi Studios
http://guns.mikoishi.com
Location: Singapore - 2003
TreasureMachine, Unwiredfactory
http://www.unwiredfactory.com
BattleMachine / Zonemaster, by Unwiredfactory
http://www.de.battlemachine.com
http://www.zonemaster.myorange.dk
BotFighters, by It's Alive
http://www.botfighters.com
Location: Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Russia - since 2000
Geocaching/GPS Stash Hunt, by Groundspeak
http://www.geocaching.com
Outdoor Mixed-reality Games
NetAttack
http://www.fit.fraunhofer.de/projects/netattack
Human Pacman
http://mixedreality.nus.edu.sg/research-HP-infor.htm
July 08, 2004
Raver Wearable Displays
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Hufo from /. points out the following videos of this in action:
Windows Media Video 1 | Windows Media Video 2
France Telecom has done some fun R&D to display pixelated images from your cellphone on your shirt or sleeve. These raver garments can even be used as a standalone device that can animate based on sounds and gestures. The technology uses a flexible circuit board with LEDs and other electronic bits like sensors layered in a fabric layered sandwich, which they claim is fairly comfortable.
The researchers at France Telecom hope people will use these textiles to do things like display their mood, but I'd be happy if my pixilated avatar would just bop to the beat of the baseline when I'm out on the town. I really hope to see better resolution displays; this technology is still very young. With better resolution, designer memes and logos might become the hot intellectual property being shared by the young hipsters. Animated clothing is something I've been seeing a lot at Burning Man by artists with electroluminescent wire, so I have hope that this technology will encourage fashion to be more creative. For example, I would love a shirt that could display a very large "NO SPAM" message to display disgust in solicitors and peddlers in appropiate situations. I'd love to hear how others would use this creatively, so once again, I've opened up the comments
June 03, 2004
Climbing SpyBot
Well, I suppose this goes under the vertical voyeur category, but I can see fun uses for the technology beyond spying on your neighbors. I personally would love a robot that could scale the walls than jump on my friends when they least expect it. On the other hand for 14,000, I'd rather build myself my dream wearable computer with that lovely POV jonescam. I'd be interested to play with this thing though, as it sounds like fun RC toy.
Unlike other robots, the SpyBot Climber does not use suction cups to adhere and climb; instead, it uses patented technology to pull itself to surfaces. With a versatile six-wheeled posi-traction drive train, the robot can travel and maneuver on horizontal, vertical, and even inverted surfaces with ease. The nature of the vortex effect also makes it forgiving of changing surface types. The drive train was designed to be powerful enough to handle an extra 1 lb. (0.45 kg) or more of payload (depending on mission profile), so you can transport additional devices, such as video cameras and transmitters.
June 02, 2004
Wearable Sensors for Martial Arts Blows
Wearable computing just got physical. Somewhat like the military's "smartfibers" that are able to tell when a soldier is shot, researchers at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), Stanford University, and Impact Measurement are building wearable computers to measure blows to the body.
"The researchers are testing the system in tae kwon do matches. Information from the sensors combined with the judges' calls makes for more accurate scoring, according to the researchers. The method could also be used for sensing impact in other contact sports and also for videogames."
Also reminds me of that wonderful suit that Robin Williams wore in TOYS that would make funny sounds for different parts of his body.
May 09, 2004
GPS attachment for the Game Boy Advance
Whoha. GeoGames suddenly are going to get very big.
Besides being able to tell you where you are, there are also plans for multi-player games that take advantage of the GPS, though it doesn’t sound like any are actually in the works yet.
These guys seem to be interested in GIS solutions in general including geoimagery and navigation.
March 28, 2004
GPS Pas Sion
Moblog of GPS devices from CEBIT over at http://cebit.textamerica.com/, which is quite interesting. No words about GeoImages though...
[via gizmodo.com]
November 06, 2003
Wearable Toys for X-Mas
I saw an ad for this on Cartoon Network, and completely missed the name, but was recently able to figure it out by browsing the ToysRUs website.
This is much like a walkie-talkie, except that it uses a mini keyboard and head mounted display to display the message, which can be up to 23 characters. They claim a range of 200 feet, which would work okay for paintball, or other sneaky activities. I'm guessing these would be pretty easy to hack, although you might just want to mount a short LCD on the inside of some glasses.
In any case, it's a neat toy, one that I would have enjoyed as a child. I loved pretending I was some spy trying to avoid detection around the house.
In addition, this company is producing a funny looking POV camera that uses traditional film, and apparently needs to be taken apart in order to remove a 'strange circle thing centered on the middle of the photo with the words "Spy Cam" (kind of like a gun sight.)'. I think if they tried to do this again with a cheap digital cam, it could actually be decent. Again, for reasonable use, you could probably just stick a wireless mini cam in a pair of sunglasses, and get a much better effect.
All in all, I was surprised by these products, but only likely to get the first toy because it only costs about $35 for two. Should be fun stuff to mutilate for next year's Burning Man.