The LumiTouch Project

1. The LumiTouch Project the path from idea to product need idea team action plan (c) 2007, Angela Chang,Prototyping Lecture @ Tufts 3/12/07

2. The LumiTouch Project Goal: Create a sense of real-time remote presence Implementation: A digitally augmented picture frame which allows touch to be sent over the internet as light

3. Motivation Human beings are social animals. • “We both work late.” • “I don’t want to interrupt… • …or be interrupted” • “We are separated by an ocean…”

4. Presented at TED 4 @ Kobe, 1993 and DOP 2 @ Amsterdam, 1994 SIGGRAPH Video Review, 106-10, ACM, 1994 Inspirations I am at school, my boyfriend is at work. We stay late. • “Is he thinking of me?” • “If only I could share my feelings...” • “I don’t want to interrupt…”

5. The result… • a live demo in last class • Paper accepted, presented, and demoed @ CHI2001 • working demo at the Media Lab • a patent application • Job opportunities • Products: Ambient devices

6. The 5 Ingredients idea team need action plan

7. Need Each member shares/sees a common need that this product will address. • Personal motivations • A bug list – a list of observations • “Wouldn’t it be nice if….” (I could tell when he was thinking of me) • “I hate…” (not knowing where he was)

8. Inspiration How can technology help? • Augment a picture frame of my significant other. • Enhance a picture frame to allow real-time 2-way communication. • However, keep the ambient non-intrusive qualities of original static picture.

9. Ideas A good idea does not rely on the group, when the group disperses, the idea remains. “The best way to get good ideas, is to get lots of ideas”- Linus Pauling

10. The Team • Everyone contributes something different. • Mutual respect, no power plays • All are invested in the work • Communication

11. MockUps • Paper prototyping • Experience Prototyping • Mood boards • Story • Software Prototyping • Flash demo • Hardware Prototyping • Hard Appearance Model • Working technology demo (java)

12. Excitement = action

13. Prototyping resources http://www.esas-fc.net/candidate/conseils/conseils.htm Durrel Bishop’s marble answering machine RCA’93 James Gouldstone http://Anjchang.com/jimbones/ http://xenia.media.mit.edu/~kelly/webMaterials.htm

14. Planning • Related Work- see what’s already out there • Existing products • Existing research papers http://acm.org/dl • Constraints & Deadlines are necessary • Scale it down • Narrow the scope • Documentation writes itself… almost • Talk to each other and other people

15. Schedule Time is ticking, use it wisely.

16. Proximity sensor Proximity output LED Implementation Top of picture is feedback panel Touch input for sending Red, Green and Blue Sides of frame are lit up by color reception Totally software reconfigurable- very little logic in hardware

17. the Demo

18. Tangible outputs • Hallmark was impressed at sponsor week • User specifications • Real product…? • Patent granted! • Something to play with.

19. Acknowledgements • Tangible Media Group • Pet Projects • MIT Department of Architecture • Harvard Graduate School of Design • Dan Stiehl (Latex Molding) • Ari Benbasat and Responsive Environments • Rob Jacobs, Rich Fletcher (tmg critiquers) • Our loved ones

20. Angela Chang, Ben Resner*, Brad Koerner**, XingChen Wang***, Hiroshi Ishii MIT Media Lab, Tangible Media Group *MIT Media Lab, Pet Projects Group **Harvard Graduate School of Design ***MIT Department of Architecture LumiTouch: An Emotional Communication Device