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Craftopolis: Blending Tangible, Informal Construction into Virtual Multiuser Communities
September 20, 2013 I wanted to tell you about this paper by former colleagues (Jane Meyers, Jeffrey LaMarche, and Michael Eisenberg) at the CU Craft Technology Group. This was presented at Interaction Design and Children (IDC) 2010, and suggests how we might bridge tangible construction kits with shared online spaces. Craftopolis(pdf) is an exploration of a shared online children's "world" in which the basic elements are tangible constructions that can be controlled computationally and accessed over the WWW. With it, users make their own computationally-enriched physical models (e.g., of dollhouse rooms, dioramas, game boards, etc), and can link those rooms into a shared online space. Within this shared online space, users can make lights turn on/off, play melodies, move motors, and sense the environment. The idea of creative shared spaces already exists (multiplayer games, social networks, shared programming environments), but they all share the limitation of being exclusively "virtual" in their design: children can play in virtual worlds, create virtual buildings and farms, or design programs, but they cannot experiment or create with tangible materials in these activities. Craftopolis makes it possible to press a switch in your diorama, and have it turn on a light on your friend's, anywhere in the world.
Introducing Dazzu - light craft studio
September 20, 2013
Dazzu - our new line of interactive craft - consists of a flexible, programmable board, with 3 LEDs that can be slipped it into pretty much any project. It's thin and flexible enough for felt, scrapbooking, painting, and so much more. With it, you can make a photo album that shines when you flip through it, a photo frame that lights up in the dark, a scrapbooking page that twinkles when you talk*. Just add the Dazzu board to any project, insert a watch battery (included), and it will start to twinkle. Naturally, you program Dazzu by holding it in front of your computer screen, tablet or smart phone. It has built-in light and temperature sensors, and you can attach others for sound, proximity and motion sensing. We're working with our retail partners and plan to start shipping the frame and wristband kits in October. *Sound, tilt, and proximity sensors sold separately.
Sparkle starry night - etextiles mixed media by Mimi Leinbach
September 11, 2013 Mimi Leinbach makes some pretty wonderful mixed-media scrapbooking projects, and we were delighted that she would put some Sparkle in a couple of her projects. The stars at the top of the house have holes punched to let the lights from Sparkle and leds shine through. We used a variety of led colors (white, blue, pink), and the program is simply (always (twinkle 2)) This time, instead of being attached directly unto the canvas, Sparkle is sewn to a white square of felt, which is then then stuffed between the canvas and frame from behind. Check out the tutorial. I gotta say, I love being able to quickly and easily write a tiny bit of program that can have a wonderful effect, and we're discovering that more and more people do too
Glam kits (felt and foam core)
September 09, 2013
These are complete kits that include Glam and all the pre-cut pieces (felt, foam core, adhesive, cotton ball, etc.) for a project. For now, all the projects require an adult to sew* the electronics with conductive thread, through a child can then assemble the felt pieces. We plan to release a new kit each week, starting with the Felt house.These kits are preprogrammed with a single pattern that cannot be changed. For instance, when activated the bright yellow window stays on, while the two puffs of smoke are animated. This runs for about 5 minutes before turning off. Activate it by waving your hands over the yellow window. * We've also got a flexible board in the works that eliminates sewing.
"Aniomagic Glam: Easy-Peasy Etextiles" by @punkin3_14
September 05, 2013 Aniomagic friend got some time to craft with Glam and wrote up a review of her experience and observations. I'll just add a few comments here as a way to reply and say thanks! The adhesive dot battery holder is very low profile & easy to install (the positive and negative threads are stuck to the battery with two stickers), but I’m not sure how easy it will be to change the battery, and whether or not the adhesive dots will also need to be replaced. Given the force (and potential damage to fabric) required to remove the battery, I wouldn’t recommend using these on fragile projects.We love the low profile of these adhesive dot holders, but we absolutely agree that the force needed to remove the battery is too much. We've been looking for a less-strong double-sided adhesive for the battery holder that would hold securely but allow for easy removal. Alternatively, you could first place the adhesive on a pair of jeans, then peel them off and attach to your battery... In about 20 minutes, my project had 3 working lights that pulsed and could be turned off, without any bulky componentry, or programming. Unfortunately, the external LEDs are addressed the same, so they always pulse in unison. However, in some of the patterns, the onboard LED pulses seperately, which adds a bit of interest to the pattern.Just to clarify, Glam and the two external LEDs are treated as 3 separate LEDs that pulse in different ways. If you string more external LEDs, (to the right for example) then yes, all the LEDs on the right of Glam would pulse in unison. Thanks for the awesome review! |
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It's taken more than a year, but we're proud to finally announce Dazzu - light craft studio!!!
