Flyfire is project initiated by the SENSEable City Laboratory in collaboration with ARES Lab (Aerospace Robotics and Embedded Systems Laboratory), both departments of the MIT. The goal is to transform any ordinary space into a highly immersive and interactive display environment. Its first implemetation is a display system using a large number of self-organizing micro helicopters. Each of them acts as smart pixel by using LED’s. Their position in 3D space and their color can be defined in real time, together they’re canvas able to display any kind of 2D imagery.
When it comes to product design, I’m a real fan of simple but good ideas. This table lamp called “Drawing Lamp” by Thomas Feichtner would be an excellent example. Although I’m curious to see it lit.
Yes, we’ve seen enough graffiti-light-painting movies and pictures. But this little concept by Sweat Shoppe is quite nice. They developed a technique to project video footage on a canvas, vitually painted by a LED-lit paint roller.
What? Just watch the video.
Electronic Popables is a project by Jie Qi, a mechanical engineering student at Columbia University. But last summer she spend researching with Dr. Leah Buechley as part of the High-Low Tech group in the MIT Media Lab and there she did this project. You could describe it as a classic paper pop-up book filled with electronic components. The LED’s and other elements are connected to arduino based boards through conductive ink. So when something moves, the circuit closes and something happens. But this videos shows will make everything clear.
Another project by Jie Qi are these paper flowers. She built-in some memory wires in the paper flowers connected them to a strong battery. Those wires let the flowers move, just like they would bloom.
N-Matic is light object designed by Inga Mrazauskaite, using LED technologies and unique transformable constructions. Just watch the video below to see what’s possible.
The ARS Electronica Center in Linz, Austria, has quite an impressive facade. It is actually a huge display, 1085 windows are equiped with fully controllable LED’s.
“Lights On” is an audio visual performance, the visual programming with openFrameworks was done by Zachary Lieberman, Joel Gethin Lewis and Damian Stewart. Daito Manabe did the music with support from Taeji Sawai and Kyoko Koyama. The colors of the LED’s changed in realtime to the music that was broadcasted on speakers surrounding the building. They recorded the output, both the music and LED animation for later replay.
Raimond Puts is a Dutch mathematics professor who designed these lamps for Moooi. They are build up from 2 triangular geometric layers which conduct electricity, in between the outer and inner structure are the LED’s.
Haaa!!! and Hooo!!! are 2 new lamps designed by Philippe Starck, Haaa!!! is a big floor lamp, Hooo!!! is a table lamp. Actually it was a true collaboration between 5 parties: the design is by Philippe Starck, text is by Jenny Holzer, the custom electronics were done by Moritz Waldemeyer, the crystal by Baccarat and the execution by Flos.
The be honest, I don’t think the design is very interesting, I’m pretty sure that Philippe recycled some of his older designs … So why is it interesting? For me it is the visual effect of having a white LED matrix running through a handmade crystal lamp, displaying the truisms of Jenny Holzer. Of course both a very limited, only 9 units will be available of Haaa!!! and will cost €90.000, Hooo!!! will be build 49 times and will set you back €9.000.
The Starbrick is an experiment with light modulation and space by Olafur Eliasson for Zumtobel. The configuration below is made of several Starbricks. But you can use them on their own or in different structures. I would definitely like to see these in real life.
“Blown Fabric” is collection of lamps designed by Nendo. They used the material Smash, a long-fibre non-woven polyester, which you can shape in almost any form when heated. The production technique is very similar to blown glass. That’s why they’ve used LED bulbs to make sure that the lampshades don’t collapse.
This will be on display during the Milan furniture fair at the Tokyo Fiber ‘09 Senseware exhibition.
