Etude 3

Basic Details:

This is the best and most interesting work that I have seen in a very long time, and I really want to try and replicate it, and then try to add to it, and attempt to make something a little more interesting. "In its simplest form the Laser Tag system is a camera and laptop setup, tracking a green laser point across
the face of a building and generating graphics based on the laser's position which then get projected back
onto the building with a high power projector." (http://muonics.net/blog/index.php?postid=15)

Ian Hunter

Digital Arts and Music Technology

LASER

My original intentions were to recreate the project from the creators at the Graffiti Research Lab (http://graffitiresearchlab.com/) and then change it to create a different project. This would obviously be on a much smaller scale, as the equipment that they used cost around £5000.

Conceptualisation of the work.

This is a really nice way to tag on any surface, or just draw random pictures with a laser pen. I wanted to try and use eye tracking hardware in place of the laser. I'm not sure if this is possible as the open source software that is provided on there site is only designed to track a laser beam, and no other source of light or hardware, although I am hoping that the program can be recoded to track anything as long as it is bright enough.

Describe and depict what the actual concept of the etude is.



I want to recreate this laser tagging system, but instead of using a laser beam that the computer then tracks and draws, I have been looking into eye tracking software and hardware. I have found a DIY version which is relatively cheap, and looks fairly easy to create. I would then have to change the program from the graffiti research lab so that it could track the movement of the eye. If I can create this piece of work, I think that it will be a truly interactive installation for all to enjoy. This should give the spectator a free reign to create the art work themselves, with this simple but effective platform.

Documentation of Technical and Artistic Process.

As of yet I have not been able to get the open source application that claims to be able to track a laser working, so I have not been able to document any findings. I am working on finding another mirror of the app, and gathering the relative equipment. I am going to look into building an eye tracking device from this link (http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/07/open_source_lowcost_realtime_e.html) which has the step by step, and costs etc. The plans are quite detailed, and with a steady soldering hand and some patients I think it may just work.





Pictures from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urban_data/396087351/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urban_data/396087015/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urban_data/396086969/

References

http://muonics.net/blog/index.php?postid=15
http://research.eyebeam.org/projects
http://research.eyebeam.org/projects
http://www.instructables.com/id/EIDH3WPPZSEPD7QVIA?ALLSTEPS
http://www.txtualhealing.com/
http://www.instructables.com/id/EIDH3WPPZSEPD7QVIA?ALLSTEPS
http://www.tobii.com/
http://www.bunnyfoot.com/services/eyetrackingsales.html
http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/research/cm-hci/EyeMusic/
http://www.perspectum.com/eyeresponse/index.htm
http://eyebeam.org/
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/07/open_source_lowcost_realtime_e.html
http://hcvl.hci.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/openEyes.cgi
http://hcvl.hci.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/openEyeswiki/index.cgi?MobileEyeTrackerConstruction
http://simplifierlab.com/mt/archives/2006/07/roll_your_own_eye_tracking_tes.php
http://www.perspectum.com/eyeresponse/index.htm

How successful is this etude.

I think that this will be my final project, as it has interested me the most out of all of my research and etudes. I will be updating this post with any technical advances that I may have over easter, and the following weeks, because as of yet I have not got any of the equipment needed, and it is proving very hard to track down.

Etude 2

Basic Details :

Nabaztag WIFI rabbit

Ian Hunter

Digital Arts and Music Technology

WIFI rabbit

I wanted to have my WIFI rabbit being controlled, by some external object of some kind. E.g. A joystick that was connected to the rabbits WIFI server, and the rabbit itself, that would control the rabbits ear movements.

Conceptualisation of the work.

I need to try and take this rabbit apart, and see if I can work with any of its insides, of ports. Also I will take a look at its API, which I think at this moment doesn't so much. If I can get inside this rabbit I would try and bypass its packets and signal, to reroute it through some external control.



Decribe and depict what the actual concept of the etude is.

I have found several site where people have tryed to reverse engineer the rabbit to see how it works. I have found out that it uses a simple BENQ WIFI card, that should be programmable to some extent. If this is the case then I will try and stop it sending all its signals through its still very closed source server, and attempt to rewrite the API, so that I can control this beast via something else than its really badly designed website, that you must log into, and where the functions are very limited. I would also try and take advantage of it voice recognition features, that are also quite limited, as you can only ask for four words at this point, but my thoughts were that you may be able to change the reaction of the rabbit when a voice is heard.

http://www.ed-vero.com/nabaztag.html

This is a link that I found that details the information that the wifi rabbit sends and and its codes etc, this got me no further into discovering what I might be able to use this rabbit for, firstly because a lot of it is in french, and secondly because it only lists the code to get the rabbit to move his ears, and change the colour of its lights. This seems to be what most of the Nabaztag sites and blogs say, that the API is very limited and, it is not yet possible to do much with it, as it is still a fairly new product and the source is still closed.





http://www.nata2.org/2006/02/27/investigating-the-nabaztag/

This guy has managed to take apart the Nabaztag and has revealed its guts, and has tryed to discover its secrets. It uses a standard Benq wifi card, and has no obvious inputs that could be manipulated. This is why I have left the Nabaztag for dead, and leave him to tell me the weather, and read me the news in my bedroom. I don't think that it can help me to create an interactive hybrid of any kind, although I am sure that the source will eventually be opened up, either by some hacker or the company themselves. For now I will close my etude on this subject.


Documentation of Technical and Artistic Process.


Technical Analysis.

I have not made any technical developments with this rabbit, as at this moment in time when the rabbit is still so young, there is no real reverse engineered instructions, or examples of how this tiny rabbit made be used to do something other than its factory programmed actions.

References.

http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=1327&src_t=cat&src_id=gadgets&aff=1272
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabaztag
http://blog.nabaztag.com/nabcasts/index.html
http://help.nabaztag.com/fiche.php?langue=3&fiche=29
http://napicc.blogspot.com/
http://www.gizoo.co.uk/Products/PCGaming/Wireless/Nabaztag.htm
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://pokie.dyndns.org/view.php%3Falbum%3Dnabaztag%26name%3DDSC_3623.JPG%26show%3D1&imgrefurl=http://tecfa.unige.ch/perso/staf/nova/blog/index.php%3Fs%3Dnabaztag&h=752&w=500&sz=106&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=8wwOYtlQcDVXCM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=94&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnabaztag%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN
http://freshmeat.net/projects/nabaztagccplugin/
http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=1810
http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;229702723
http://www.toiprotocol.com/mainstream.php
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/03/nabaztag_widget_control_the_wi.html
http://www.nata2.org/2006/02/27/investigating-the-nabaztag/
http://pokie.dyndns.org/photos.php?album=nabaztag&page=1
http://www.nabwidget.com/
http://search.cpan.org/~jeteve/Nabaztag-0.03/
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/opinion/story/0,,1776901,00.html
http://www.ed-vero.com/nabaztag.html
http://philwilson.org/blog/2007/01/nabaztag.html
http://blog.nabaztag.com/programmers/index.html
http://nabazlab.sourceforge.net/index_en.html
http://nabazlab.sourceforge.net/dev_en.html

How successful is the etude.

This has turned out to be completely useless, and a total waste of money. I have abandoned the rabbit idea, that I originally thought would be able to make a really nice project. Until the source is a little more open I don't think even the hardcore hackers/engineers will be able to make anything good from this overpriced rabbit.

Etude 1

Basic Details :

UV reactive paint using stencils, and pens.

Ian Hunter

Digital Arts and Music Technology

UV Stencils

I wanted to create a UV room, covered in reactive paint. I would then have a selection of stencils avaliable that the users could attach to the walls. In the center of this room there would be a rotating UV light, and as it passes over the stencils, it will leave there imprint.

Conceptualisation of the work.

In order to do this I would need a large powerful UV light, and a room big enough for it to look cool. This proved to be quite a tricky place to find. I would create the stencils myself, with past experience in creating them. Also I would provide random objects that could be added to the stencils to create more interesting shapes etc.

Decribe and depict what the actual concept of the etude is.

This space will be very user orientated, as what is on the walls will be decided by the user. It will also be very temporary as when the light passes around the room once again, it will erase most of the stencils, leaving them slightly faded. I think that this would be an installation that everyone could enjoy and take part in. Also with some nice synthy dark music, it would be an experience just being there. To add some more texture and fun to the UV paint, I was thinking of using different coulors of paint, so that as the light passed around the room without any stencils, it would already be a nice installation. I have looked into buying UV lights, and the reactive paint, and I have found several retailers that stock such things.






Inspired by the group Random International, I have been looking into blacklights and there uses. I would really like to do something like with this simple, natural light source. The lamps and paints are relatively cheap, and the results are fun, and interactive. I have always been interested in graffiti art, and in particular stencils. I will try and do some experiments with this on a smaller scale, and update this study with some pictures of the results.

Documentation of Technical and Artistic Process.

Stay tuned !!

Technical Analysis.

http://www.glowtec.co.uk/paint-blue-UVR-2.htm

This is a brilliant link, with some really cheesy example of how UV paint can be used to create art works etc.

check out there gallery.

http://www.glowtec.co.uk/UV-R-gallery.htm

References.

http://www.random-international.com/
http://www.technika.com/Sper/s330005.htm
http://www.glowtec.co.uk/paint-blue-UVR-2.htm

How successful is the etude.

This has turned out to be a really interesting etude, with lots of different ideas spinning around in my head, I think that the idea above can be created fairly easily, with some really cool results. I have ordered some UV paint in a few different colours, and I am currently looking for quite a large UV light so that I can experiment further with this idea in the next week or so.

Constructing a Low-Cost Mobile Eye Tracker

AAAAha I have found it. http://hcvl.hci.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/openEyeswiki/index.cgi?MobileEyeTrackerConstruction

I have a feeling that this is a Linux based project so it maybe pointless researching, but it has spured me on to keep looking for a cheap DIY solution.

Picture from : http://hcvl.hci.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/openEyeswiki/index.cgi?MobileEyeTrackerConstruction

TXTual Healing

Etude 3

This is another site that I found, that is linked to projections, and external devices to manipulate them. This guy has used the Projection Bombing, found on http://www.graffiti-researchlab.com.

"The simple explanation is that it's a cellphone paired to a mac using proprietary software, custom scripting and graphics, and then the results are displayed through a projector connected to the computer. The whole system is mobile and with the right projector/beamer, quite bright." (http://www.txtualhealing.com/how.html)

Just another cool way of creating an interactive projection space. I really don't want to have to code much, to create my project, and have been looking into different ways to createa simple but interesting environment, using projections. If I can manage to get hold of an eye tracking device, or can get hold of some information about to make one myself, that would be perfect.



Picture from : http://www.txtualhealing.com/how.html

L.A.S.E.R. research

Images from : http://muonics.net/blog/index.php?postid=15

I have been looking into making this L.A.S.E.R. tagging system but on a much smaller scale. Using the link above which contains full details of the equipment they used, and the application, I will recreate this project with my own projector, camera (borrowed from friend), and PC needed for the program they have written, that is able to track the green light from the laser. As far as I can tell the software provided can be manipulated with some simple changes in its code, to react to any colour of laser, and hopefully be made to do some other interesting things. Once I have bought a new bulb for my projector, and have my PC up and running once again, I will see if I can get this to work. I'll keep you posted.

L.A.S.E.R.

"In the spirt of GRL's and Eyebeam's open source beliefs, we are posting the code and executable
for the Laser Tag application online for you to download, dissect, reuse and hopefully improve. The code is
C++ and compiled in a super old school Codewarrior IDE for windows but it is oepnGL based and written
using openFrameworks which is a cross platform library for writing creative code. So it should be very
straight forward to run in Visual Studio, DevC++ or even xcode on a mac.

In its simplest form the Laser Tag system is a camera and laptop setup, tracking a green laser point across
the face of a building and generating graphics based on the laser's position which then get projected back
onto the building with a high power projector." (http://muonics.net/blog/index.php?postid=15)

Graffiti Research Labs have given a full open source and tutorial for making a similar lazer tagging system. After buying a new bulb for my projector and a lazer pen, I am going to experiment with this idea myself. It would be on a much smaller scale, and would make a really nice interactive environment, if there were several lazer pens for participants to write with. I assume that the software allows the control of colours and saturation etc aswell, so it could make for a really nice project.

Pictures from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urban_data/396087351/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urban_data/396087015/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urban_data/396086969/

This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen with a lazer pen. The guys at the Graffiti Reasearch Lab have created L.A.S.E.R. tagging, a fast easy to set up way of projecting your tags on the streets.

UV Lights

Inspired by the group Random International, I have been looking into blacklights and there uses. I would really like to do something like with this simple, natural light source. The lamps and paints are relatively cheap, and the results are fun, and interactive. Have a look at the previous posts with the UV temorary graffiti. This idea of graffiti really appeals to me, and if everyone can have a go, thats brilliant.

Nabaztag take apart

http://www.nata2.org/2006/02/27/investigating-the-nabaztag/

This guy has managed to take apart the Nabaztag and has revealed its guts, and has tryed to discover its secrets. It uses a standard Benq wifi card, and has no obvious inputs that could be manipulated. This is why I have left the Nabaztag for dead, and leave him to tell me the weather, and read me the news in my bedroom. I don't think that it can help me to create an interactive hybrid of any kind, although I am sure that the source will eventually be opened up, either by some hacker or the company themselves. For now I will close my etude on this subject.

More Nabaztag research

http://www.ed-vero.com/nabaztag.html

This is a link that I found that details the information that the wifi rabbit sends and and its codes etc, this got me no further into discovering what I might be able to use this rabbit for, firstly because a lot of it is in french, and secondly because it only lists the code to get the rabbit to move his ears, and change the colour of its lights. This seems to be what most of the Nabaztag sites and blogs say, that the API is very limited and, it is not yet possible to do much with it, as it is still a fairly new product and the source is still closed.