Student Design Challenge

March 19, 2019 (Tuesday) 9am-10.30am

Student Design Challenge Exhibit at Tempe Mission Palms

March 19, 2019 (Tuesday) 7pm

Award Ceremony at the Tempe Center for the Arts

Student Design Challenge Supporters

HYBRID FUTURES

Building on the theme of the conference - Hybrid Materials - the TEI 2019 Student Design Challenge encourages submissions to speculate on how humans will interact with future digital, physical, biological, social, and virtual materials. Submissions will be exhibited at the main conference on Tuesday, March 19 9am-10.30am.

There will be three prizes awarded:

  • Best Implementation/Technology (Juried)
  • Best Concept/Design (Juried)
  • Audience Choice (Attendee Voted)
  • The awards ceremony will be held at 7pm on March 19, during the Arts Track Reception at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

    Accepted Student Design Challenge Submissions

    Emoto: From Phone to Emotive Robotic AI Sidekick

    ROscar Alvarado, KU Leuven

    Gautam Bose, Carnegie Mellon University

    Marisa Lu, Carnegie Mellon University

    Lucas Ochoa, Carnegie Mellon University

    Dan Lockton, Carnegie Mellon University

    In this paper we introduce the concept of Phone as an Emotive AI sidekick through a set of novel interactions where in the multi-axis actuated robotic charging stand we made acts as a 'body' for the AI on our phones. The novel interactions begin with how the robotic platform embodies and thus communicates our devices' understanding of the world, continues with the affordance for more varied expressive output, and works towards extending current phone functionality to be far-field, context-driven interactions.

    Atmos - Innovation Through Citizen Science

    Michael Maheu

    Leah Van Proeyen

    Jordan Brown

    Will Garlen

    Harsh Singhal

    Savannah, Georgia is a beautiful coastal city with historic charm. The city has many social and ecological problems due to its coastal nature and dramatically different social groups. Negative impact on the natural environment can greatly influence the overall health and happiness of those living in the area. In this paper we propose Atmos, an innovative design solution for Savannah, Georgia. Atmos aims to improve social interactions in the local area, improve the water and air quality, and also greatly enhances access to fresh produce for residents. Atmos targets some of the key problems found in primary and secondary research regarding Savannah, Georgia and the issues surrounding this city. The design provides a social currency system, while also engaging users with an interactive biosensor system and produce market where social currency, personal reward, and environmental awareness can be gained.

    Year 2184

    Leslie Bonzella, University of Cincinnati

    Katie R Keller, University of Cincinnati

    Griffin Christensen, University of Cincinnati

    Alexander Widua, University of Cincinnati

    Katherine Ryder, University of Cincinnati

    Our project is an exploration into the clothing of the future, clothing for space. We analyzed current and future technology, trends, and goals for space exploration. We determined a need for smarter system regarding clothing, fabric, and wearables. We experimented with growing our own fabrics in small batches that could eventually be grown in futuristic space colonies that do not have access to many raw materials or large facilities. We created dozens of experiments, not knowing what would be successful and what would not. With these fabrics we designed clothing and devices to fit into the lifestyle that we envision for humanity 166 years in the future.

    Chance Encounters: Implementing an Interactive Performance System for Theremin, Myo Armband, and Video

    Rachel Gibson,Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA), Oberlin Conservatory

    The collaborations of John Cage and Merce Cunningham explored the relationships between sound, movement, and chance. Both Cage's "Four Statements on the Dance," and Cunningham's "Space, Time, and Dance," describe the possibility of music and movement being two independent aspects of a composition, but still coming together at certain points in time. In addition, Cage ultimately believed the theremin had more artistic potential than what many utilized it for. Chance Encounters for theremin, Myo armband, and video, explores and incorporates these ideas by recontextualizing the theremin as a controller for video processing. The performer also interacts with a chance-based performance system by wearing the Myo armband, a biosensor, creating a hybrid system with the theremin. This paper describes the software mapping and creative processes used in Chance Encounters which expands the way a performer interacts with the theremin by allowing a larger range of movement to activate the instrument.

    Quantuition: Exploring the Future of Representing Biometric Data

    Jordan Wirfs-Brock, University of Colorado, Boulder

    In a future where we can and do track everything, how will the way we represent data influence how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us? Through cultural probes and speculative design, this project explores the relationship between personal biometric data and the meaning we find in it. I deployed probe kits containing a series of activities around data collected during physical exercise. Based on insights gained from those probes, I designed a speculative self-tracking system, Quantuition, that collects data from spreadable surface and ingestible internal nanosensors. The system renders that data into 3D data sculptures. Presented in the form of an Instagram feed, this speculation highlights how data design influences the process of individual and social sense-making.

    AudioMémoire: Designing for Emotional Well-Being through Self-Healing Music Activities in a Tangible Audio Book

    Shang-Chi Tu, National Tsing Hua University

    Emotional well-being issues have become prevalent nowadays. Nearly 74% of adults in the US said they have experienced at least one symptom of stress in the past month in 2018, and that 56% of Americans felt they needed more emotional support in 2017. To improve one's emotional well-being, relevant techniques of music therapy are used to help people ease pain and improve depressive symptoms. However, the design space for music therapy remains under-explored. We know little about the role of technology in further exhibiting the therapeutic value of music. Having this in mind, we design AudioMémoire as a self-healing tool, aiming to engage people in a series of music collecting activities plus journaling via a tangible recording audio book. These activities are informed by existing psychological evidences on music therapy. We hope this tool can be used to promote people's emotional well-being in everyday life.

    ANEW: Postpartum Lingerie

    Babaljit Kaur, University of Cincinnati

    Sophia Moriarty, University of Cincinnati

    Kate Hursh, University of Cincinnati

    Jaya Pickens, University of Cincinnati

    Tita Jackson, University of Cincinnati

    Anew is a line of postpartum lingerie that targets healing of both the body and emotional health of women that have had children within the past year. This garment line will make use of embedded technology to help ease the pain associated with the post childbirth time period and to help heal both the musculature and physique of women, while promoting self-confidence.

    FRANK: An exploration into the potential of expressive and engaging robotic materials

    Davide Jose Nogueira Davide Amorim d.j, Eindhoven University of Technology

    Giulia Caleca, Eindhoven University of Technology

    Minerva I. Loos, Eindhoven University of Technology

    Alex de Ruiter, Eindhoven University of Technology

    Miguel Bruns, Eindhoven University of Technology

    Technological developments and the changing availability of resources impose new requirements for materials and the designers which use and develop them. This study describes an approach to explore the possibilities of future robotic materials by envisioning ways of program material behavior. We developed a tool named FRANK that allows to explore the dynamic qualities of robotic materials. FRANK has properties such as sensing, actuating, computing and communicating. Its behavior is programmable and users can experience this dynamic material through tactile interaction.

    Student Design Challenge Chairs

    Sophia Brueckner, University of Michigan

    Joshua Tanenbaum, University of California, Irvine

    Anja Thieme, Microsoft Research