aThematics » My work

BuzzBack

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:07:49 +0000

BuzzBack is a project I’ve been working on with the responsive environments group in MIT’s Media Lab.
The project will consist of about a dozen small buzzers, each equipped with a microphone and a speaker. Each one will autonomously listen to it’s environment through the microphone and, based on what it hears, it will sing back a tone through the speaker. The buzzers will hear each other and respond but will also be susceptible to environmental noise like subways or interested viewers.

I’ve been working on a simulation in Processing in parallel to the development of the hardware. You can check it out here. Unfortunately, the microphone doesn’t work in the web app but if your interested in singing to it, you can download the app here.

joint tectonics in place

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:50:06 +0000

A quick snapshot of how the projection project is progressing. This is four of the 10 pieces arranged in a such a way that I can start to think about how they’ll fit together.

I’ve been working on concrete form-work system that is driving me nuts. I’m actually batting around the idea of using colored concrete although, as per usual, I can’t be trusted with the color picking.
Those little black things between modules are steel plates that connect the units. Imagine that this thing is 8 feet tall.

QuarC Necklace

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:51:00 +0000

I have been working on this project for a while and I can finally reveal it.

This is an offshoot of a project I did a couple of years ago involving quasicrystals (qc) which was published in Pidgin Magazine issue 6. The piece originated as a 3D model :

The geometry of which was based on these earlier experiments with the qc. From there, I 3D printed the object to get a positive that I could make copies of:

This acted as a master from which I could get a silicone mold:

and then cast it into unfinished silver. The white residue is some combination of the plaster mold and a release agent:

This was then finished into the final pendant which came out with a shockingly shiny. After all, it is silver:

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the result although there is a lot that I would change if I had it to do over again. The fabrication process has been really fascinating and rewarding as someone who hasn’t dealt with casting metal before.

discrete / continuous

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:57 +0000

Searching for geometrical techniques for a project that I’m doing with Mishka Alexander called Extra-Long Island. This is, admittedly, a Voronoi diagram but in my defense, we’re making every effort to exercise control over the location of points and therefore the structure of the topology. More to come on this.

first images

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:17:59 +0000

I’m very excited. Finally, after a few months of grinding away at this java-based higher-dimensional projection system, I’ve got a few legitimate results to show off:
5 dimensions into 2:

I literally cropped these in MS Paint. Seriously.
6 dims into 2 (in perspective so it looks faster)

and finally 6 dims into 3. I promise better graphics soon.

Sunday night nonlinear dynamics

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:00:28 +0000

A few images from a project I’m working on modeling Atlantic tuna populations:

Gratuitous 3D representation of the anchovy, tuna and bluefish population under certain parameters.

The individual populations in time and vs each other.

A few long term behavior diagrams showing results of overfishing (if unclearly).

Project ion

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:28:01 +0000

I am working on a long term project investigating higher dimensional space and how it can be understood in architectural/spatial terms. The eventual goals for the project include instructive and generative tools for designers as well as a pedagogical agenda towards a better understanding of Cartesian space in architecture.
The diagrams below demonstrate a particular form of projecting three dimensions into one and I’m working already on the next which will be projecting 3 dimensions into 2.

First, we establish a projection window and some geometry to project:

Then, we capture anything that’s in the window and project it.

Eventually, I hope to be able to make clear explanations about what it means to project 4, 5, etc dimensions into 2, 3 or more.

Copenhagen Wheel Handlebar iPhone Mount

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:52:53 +0000

In a quick foray into product design, I’m helping the people at Copenhagen Wheel with a handle bar mounted case for the iPhone that will provide the controls for the bicycle:

From their website:

The Copenhagen Wheel aims to transform bicycle use in Denmark’s largest city through promoting urban sustainability and building new connections between the city’s cyclists. In this work, bicycles become smart mobile sensing devices that map the real-time flow of people and environmental conditions in Copenhagen. This is achieved through strategically placing small location and environmental sensors on bicycles to gather information as people ride through the city. This data then powers applications of benefit to citizens, city municipalities and researchers interested in understanding more about city dynamics.

The project will be displayed at the 2009 Cop 15 UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December.

Stand-up for Umbrellas

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:43 +0000

Below are some images of a quick project that I just did with Xiaoji Chen for Terry Knight’s class. An umbrella stand, not particularly stable or usable but taking advantage of a glueless snap-in joinery system that appears to be pretty effective.

Square Spinner: a shape grammar

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:51:10 +0000

Below is an applet that I made for Terry Knight’s Inquiry into Computation class. The intent is to, in an AI kind of way, probe into the ability of computers to do what people are naturally really good at. In this case, given a set of lines, the code finds squares and rotates them by 45º. Considering the simplicity of the task and that it is a well defined task, the code was a real pain to write on account of lots of special cases.
Incidentally, everything is done in exact terms with zero margin for floating point errors. This is accomplished by storing points as pairs of elements in a quadratic field, with D=2. This allows for 45º rotation while maintaining integer accuracy. (the coefficients are rational, so they have integer accuracy.)
All Java code is in this rar file