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I've been using Johnny Chung Lee's Wiimote hacking as a basis for a staff 
lead activity:  both his head tracking and multitouch interface programs. 
Here are the URLs:  http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/ and 
http://wiimoteproject.com  I have yet to put it in the gallery (need to 
properly train the volunteers), but it should be fun!  It's easy to do Mr. 
Lee's hacks and the forums are very helpful if you run into trouble.  I 
also want to look into the Wii Fit balance board:  it should sync to a 
computer via Bluetooth the same way a Wiimote does, and I bet the 
information it broadcasts is similar and could be used for a variety of 
fun interfaces.  Here's a link to Engadget.com about a man who uses his 
Wii Fit Balance Board to control a Segway like robot.  
http://tinyurl.com/6ck7ot   The Wii stuff is a lot of fun, relatively 
easy, and very cheap to do!

Another home-brew project is a multitouch table like Microsoft's Surface: 
Cubit.  http://nortd.com/cubit/  I haven't built one, but it uses off the 
shelf components (like a webcam).  It might be a fall project for me.



Frank Kusiak
Cyberville Gallery Leader
Saint Louis Science Center
5050 Oakland Ave
St. Louis, MO 63110
Office:  1-314-286-4659
Fax:  1-314-286-4606





Mike Levad <[log in to unmask]> 
Sent by: Informal Science Education Network 
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07/07/2008 12:17 PM
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Subject
Alternative Interfaces






ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
institutions.
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Hi Everybody,

I recently attended a Learning in Museums conference put on by AAM.  The
conference was centered around technology in museums and was actually 
really
informative. 

The one thing that I thought was missing was a discussion of exhibit
experiences that use  some sort of alternative interface. (no mouse,
keyboard, or touch screen.) So to solve this problem, I am trying to be 
part
of the solution and propose a new session on alternative interfaces for 
AAM.

So I am seeking to tap the vast knowledge of the field through this
solicitation and try to get a sense of the best of these devices.  I will
put forth a couple of examples to get folks started.

The Talking Snack Machine:
This is a sassy snack machine in the Heart Exhibit area at the Franklin
Institute.  The device looks like an actual snack machine and when a 
visitor
chooses a snack the machine either praises or berates their selection.
(think Gilbert Gottfried) For instance if you choose a bran muffin it 
tells
you for the same amount of fat and calories you might as well go ahead and
eat the donut. You know you want the donut more anyway.

This device is actually a pretty simple database that just plays back a
series of sound and video clips but the exterior sells it because it looks
like a real, if not slightly off kilter, snack machine.

Shadow Garden:
This is an art installation created by MindWorks.  You interact with it 
via
your shadow.  There are several different scenarios but the most 
compelling
one is where a shower of computerized beads rains down on a visitor's
shadow.  Visitors are able to catch the beads by raising their arms and
making a basin.  When their arms are lowered they continue to fall to the
floor. 
JesterTek:
Most of you have probably seen this camera based interface in shopping 
malls
or movie theater lobbies.  One application I have seen includes unpopped
kernels of popcorn that pop when kids jump on them.  Basically product
placement for Jiffy Pop.

Although engaging in their own right. I have yet to see either of these
technologies put to use in a more interpretive manner.

One technology that I am looking forward to using in future exhibits is 
the
Nintendo wii.  I have a couple of concept designs done but nothing that 
has
been built yet.  Does anyone know of a museum that has tried this yet?

I hope these few examples put you in the mood to don on your memory caps 
and
send me the best computer based exhibit experiences that use some
interesting interfaces. Examples seen outside the science center world are
more than welcome. 

Mike


Mike Levad
Lead Exhibit Developer
651-789-4735 (direct)
651-631-2211 xt.735
651-631-0707fax 
Toll free: 800-433-9599
[log in to unmask]
www.splitrockstudios.com 

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