A noise generator using two 555 chips (aka Atari Punk Console). Switch goes between photocell & step sequencer. Step sequencer uses a 4017 chip and can switch between sequenced and ping-pong formations. Used lasercutter and acrylic paint for faceplate design.

Individual project.

It is often taken for granted that our clothing serves a crucial connection to the world around us. Our clothing is rich in subtle messages; about who we are, who we want to be and our roles in society. Discreet Interfaces enables the wearer to carry and utilize its technology without compromising any of these messages. Its discreetness, derived from visual familiarity, allows flexibility of style while allowing added portability and accessibility of the embedded technology.





The Discreet Interfaces Jacket is a prototype of what Discreet Interfaces maybe like on a full garment. The style of the jacket is intentionally boring, as the point is to show that Discreet Interfaces, technology can be integrated into even the most basic style of clothing.

Publications/Exhibitions/Demos

• ID Magazine [pdf]
• 2005, MIT Seamless Fashion Show [site]
• 2005 International Symposium of Wearable Technology (ISWC) poster demo [poster pdf] [handout pdf]
• Asahi Shimbun (article in Japanese) [pdf]
• Cool Hunting [pdf] [site]
• 2005, Annual Parsons Design & Technology Thesis Show, Aronson Gallery, Parsons Newschool for Design

Group Project: Kaho Abe, Jenks Whittenburg.

Three Little Kittens is a casual flash game based on the narrative of the famous story with the same name. The main challenge of making a casual game is to design a very simple game that is engaging enough to keep the player playing and coming back for more. While the interface of the game should be easy to understand and learn, efficient user interaction before and after gameplay is also key. Here are some parts of the process of designing the interface, including: initial hand-sketches, user-experience flow chart, wireframes and screenshots.

Basic Gameplay:
In the game, the user must distribute mittens to the kittens from a stream of mittens at the bottom of the screen, before time runs out. Only when a complete pair is made, the user receives points. There are special bonus mittens which trigger fun animations, when a bonus pair is made on a kitten.

Individual project.

A series of three play/game devices designed specifically for the coffee table — gadgets worthy enough to be displayed, with content engaging enough to entertain, yet casual enough to be ignored.

Play N’ Time

While in a band a few years ago, I noticed how much collectively creating music can be such an enriching social experience — quite often to the point of surpassing the importance of producing quality music. Perhaps the popularity of Guitar Hero and the Air Guitar Championships show that people without prior music training or experience want to be a rocker too.

Play N’ Time is a Coffee Table Device which brings out the inner rocker in everyone, creating a spontaneous band experience where anyone sitting around the coffee table can join in making music. When unused, the Play N’ Time is a traditional digital clock. To play music, the users can simply remove parts of the device. Each removable part is embedded with a sound generator and various sensors which react to movement, light or touch. The base then turns into a recording device which can record, store and play back the sounds created.

This project is currently a work in progress. I will be posting more photos or images as they become available.

As we become more dependent on technology as a means of communication, our interaction is in danger of becoming limited. Although web cams and instant messaging are convenient, it will never be as personal as face to face interaction. Details such as body language and physical touch too often get lost through technology. HIT ME! was created to promote face to face, “real world” interaction amongst not only the players, but also the spectators, with emphasis on spectator community and arena-style events. It is a two-player hyper-interactive, physical game that tests speed, agility and the ability to take good snapshots.

The object of the game is to hit the opponent’s button on top of the head with in the 30 second time limit, inside the boundaries of the playing circle. Once a hit is made, the hitter’s camera takes a snapshot of the victim and posts it on the projected image. The hitter receives a point for the hit, and up to 2 additional points can be awarded by the Judge based on the quality of the snapshot.





In the current version of Hit Me!, the acrylic box on each player’s padded, medium-weight cotton twill cap, houses a retro arcade push button, attached to a hacked wireless doorbell, as well as a miniature wireless video camera. The radio frequency (RF) signal from the doorbell component is transmitted to a receiver attached to a microcontroller, which is in turn sending serial data to a computer. Simultaneously the computer is receiving two video input signals from the wireless video camera receivers. The current version of Hit Me! uses Macromedia Director to keep score, keep time and create snapshots off the live video feed. The Judge can directly input the additional snapshot points through the console interface. Each snapshot that is made is shown on the projected image, and archived at the bottom of the screen. Points, timer and hit indicators are also shown on the projected image.

Video Clips from HIT ME! TOURNAMENT 2005 Tishman Auditorium, Newschool University, NYC Tuesday May 31st, 2005, 7:30 pm Prithvi Virasinghe, winner
Prithvi vs. Chantal	Kate vs. Minah	Prithvi vs. Kate

• September 11, 2005: Ubicomp Conference 2005,Tokyo, Japan - Presentation at Ubiquitous Computing, Entertainment and Games Workshop [short paper pdf]
• NY1 [pdf] [site]
• April 12, 2005: Chelsea Museum, NYC - Game demo at 10FL Exhibition [site] [pdf]
• We Make Money Not Art [site] [pdf]

More Information

• Design process blog: brainstorming, playing testing [site archive]
• Game Rules & Tournament Personal Injury Waiver Form [pdf]
• Trailer for HIT ME! Tournament 2005 [mov]

The Sleeve Station is demonstration tool designed to emphasize the modularity and the flexibility of the Discreet Interfaces system. Four left sleeve interfaces are presented with four distinct styles of fashion: a feminine check blouse, a basic jean jacket, a rugged outdoor rip-stop pullover, and punk with spikes. The user is able to freely choose the sleeve interface to control the single MP3 player located under the Sleeve Station. Each sleeve interface can play, pause, fast forward, increase and decrease volume.

The Sleeve Station demonstration kiosk is comprised of 4 unique sleeve interfaces, a BSX2 microcontroller, a hacked Creative Muvo N200 mp3 Player, 3 shift registers, several relay switches and push-buttons, headphones and a power adapter.

Example: I have a complete music collection on my iPod and I listen to it everyday on the subway. With the modularity of the Discreet Interface system, I can wake up every morning, put on an entirely different outfit and still take advantage of the convenience of carrying and controlling my iPod through my clothing.

Publications/Exhibitions/Demos

• 2005 International Symposium of Wearable Technology (ISWC) poster demo [poster pdf] [handout pdf]
• 2005, Annual Parsons Design & Technology Thesis Show, Aronson Gallery, Parsons Newschool for Design

A handshake is a common way to greet and communicate people in many social situations. It is a simple ritual that carries understanding and trust. Music is an universal language. It transcends language barriers, creating opportunities for people to communicate even if they do not understand each other’s spoken words. Utilizing these two basic elements, Haptic Music Gloves is a sound installation that creates an opportunity for people to connect simply by mixing music when their hands are linked together.

An Mp3 player is housed in each “station” playing a unique sound.  There are conductive pads sewn on to gloves to create a connection to mix analog audio signals. The earphones share the same signal as the gloves so the sounds can be heard mixed together when a glove touches another person’s glove.

VIDEO CLIPS
	Project version shown at 2nd Beijing New Media Arts Exhibition & Symposium 2005 Music: All 5 tracks by sound artist Jenks Whittenburg
	Jung and Rahul testing first prototype Music: DJ Krush — Blank Aphex Twin — Blue Calx

Publications/Exhibitions/Demos

• April 13-15, 2005: Chelsea Museum, NYC - 10FL Exhibition [site] [pdf]
• June 21st - July 11th, 2005: 2nd Annual Beijing New Media Arts Exhibition and Symposium, Beijing - Exhibition [site] [pdf]

Group Project: Kaho Abe, Lauren Davino, Minah Kim, Larissa Pickens.

The rules of the game are fairly simple. A circle of friends is formed, the moderator decides on a theme, and then all the members of the circle must post a photo in order to make the round of photos available. If any of the members do not post a photo, the circle will “die” -meaning the photos never become visible. If the circle is completed successfully, then and only then will the members be able to view the posted photographs and comment on them.

The circles can be as large or as small as desired though there are probably tipping points in how long circles will survive based on their size. Although the members do not necessarily need to be friends already; we found in playtesting, much of the conversation surrounding the photos was based on existing relationships. We found that inside jokes were referred to in the comments, and quite often the photos were discussed in a non-circle of friends environment weeks after the round had finished.

Circle of Friends is essentially a Php game which uses a MySQL database to store its data. It is an example of how games can intersect with social networking sites.

Group Project: Kaho Abe, Prithvi Virasignhe, Jenks Whittenburg, Donnie Bugdon.

The Basic Idea:

Players start the game at “Wok Like an Egyptian” and roll the die to determine how many spaces can be moved each turn. Your impending bowel movements will be depicted on a Poo-Meter that slowly advances from “Squeeky Clean” to full blown “Poopy Pants” as you advance in turns. You must visit the bathroom and successfully empty your bowels or its back to the start with an added item on the shopping list as you must replace the clothes that you just soiled. The bathrooms are not always open! Each player has a collection of Key Cards. When you land on a bathroom space you must match the Key Card corresponding with the bathroom to a Key Card from your hand. If it’s a match then you may relieve yourself and reset the Poo-Meter. If not, then its one step closer to a ruined pair of pants. Once all of the items from the shopping list are purchased then it’s a dash to the parking lot. The first player to buy all their items and make it to the parking lot is the winner.

Read the entire rule set here.

The Devastator is a sound machine 2 people can use facing each other. Each user has his own controls and generated tone. With some experimentation, the users are able to see that not only do the controls manipulate her own sound, but has a secondary impact on the other user’s sound. A playful, dance-like dialogue of sounds emerges.

This initial prototype is made from two sets of double 555 timer chip configurations enclosed in a wooden box. There are two separate sets of controls on opposite sides of the box, facing each other. The tone set by either side reacts to the other through its photo resistor and LED encased inside the box.

Just as technology often plays an important role connecting the user to her social and/or physical environments, the wedding dress plays a similar role in connecting the bride to the social and physical environments of the wedding event.  I believe the ideal dress should not only reflect the personality and aesthetic sense of the bride but should also be relevant to her surroundings. Among other questions, I always ask the bride-to-be, “Where will your wedding be held? Will it be a traditional ceremony?” With this in mind, I have designed and constructed close to a dozen custom dresses for weddings and other special occasions.