DESIGN NAME: Delacon Dandelion
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Playful Interface
INSPIRATION: To experience nature means to be analog. Offline and "In the mood for nature". This is also the lead-subject of Delacon. The dandelion symbolically stands for the beauty and complexity of nature itself thus forming the heartpiece of the Delacon exhibition stand. We developed an interface which seamlessly closes the gap between the analog and the digital world by allowing the people to interact with it in the most natural way possible: By blowing on the flower just like in nature.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Delacon Dandelion serves as a unique interface to communicate with the digital world. It's set up as an analog, stylized and over-sized model of its real counterpart and hides a punch of technology under a slick white texture. Built-in are a number of highly sensible airflow-detectors. When they detect a change (i.e. if you blow on it), its digital clone on the led-screen reacts accordingly: Its seeds will begin their magical journey depending on the strength and direction of the airflow.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: You stand in front of a pedestal with an oversized dandelion on it, overlooking the exhibition stand and the huge led-wall in front of it. On the led-wall is a digital representation of a dandelion which moves around slightly. You can then blow directly onto the flower in front of you in order to see the effects this would have on the real thing immediately on its digital counterpart onscreen. Seeds start taking off in different directions as the dandelion bends and dances with the airflow.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: IPPE 2018 Atlanta, USA
30.01 - 01.02.2018
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The base structure is a uniquely manufactured model of a dandelion upscaled about 5:1. It houses an array of airflow sensors which are placed in a way to form a 3d-grid which is able to determine the vector of potential airflow in its surroundings. This information is then processed through an embedded microcontroller and sent to the software controlling the led-wall. On the led-wall is a digital representation of the flower which reacts in realtime to the manipulations of the analog flower.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: 40cm x 40cm x 70cm pedestal with a removeable glass cover and a 40cm high dandelion in it
TAGS: Exhibition, Interface, Playful, Sensors, Microcontrollers, Illusion, Nature, Analog
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Research was based on the idea of transforming very gentle airflows into digital data which can then be processed by our software. The whole sensor array then would have to be small enough to fit into a custom made shell which would hide it from plain sight while maintaining functionality. Different approaches where tested and lead to a coaxial prototype controlled by a microcontroller. Being unique in design, we had to develop our own framework for implementing everything into one big whole.
CHALLENGE: The challenge was to work out a solution which would tie together a solid and highly durable exhibition interface which would withstand extended stress while maintaining the functionality of a very delicate, sensible and precise sensor array fine-tuned to its surroundings. It had to be sensitive enough to detect even the slightest change of airflow around it while being stiff enough to eventually take a beating. We tried combining the analog and the digital world in a pragmatic but elegant way.
ADDED DATE: 2018-03-20 10:07:20
TEAM MEMBERS (4) : Director: Markus Pargfrieder, Creative Director: Andreas Wurm, Development/Graphical Design: Martin Zeplichal and Development: Julian Reil
IMAGE CREDITS: Eyup Kuş
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