Topobo : a gestural design tool with kinetic memory

The modeling of kinetic systems, both in physical materials and virtual simulations, provides a methodology to better understand and explore the forces and dynamics of our physical environment. The need to experiment, prototype and model with programmable kinetic forms is becoming increasingly important as digital technology becomes more readily embedded in physical structures and provides real-time variable data the capacity to transform the structures themselves. This thesis introduces Topobo, a gestural design tool embedded with kinetic memory--the ability to record, playback, and transform physical motion in three dimensional space. As a set of kinetic building blocks, Topobo records and repeats the body's gesture while the system's peer-to-peer networking scheme provides the capability to pass and transform q gesture. This creates a means to represent and understand algorithmic simulations in a physical material, providing a physical demonstration of how a simple set of rules can lead to complex form and behavior. Topobo takes advantage of the editability of computer data combined with the physical immediacy of a tangible model to provide a means for expression and investigation of kinetic patterns and processes not possible with existing materials.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Parkes, Amanda Jane

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hiroshi Ishii.

• Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28768

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/28768