Model Part 4

Solution has been reached to previous problem. Thinking all last night, came back to my torch idea which failed and realized I can put little led lights to illuminate my makeshift touch panels. I went out and bought a bunch of led's, wires, a switch n a battery. After a night of soldering and burnt fingers I think I am very very pleased with the end result. The led lights clearly draw attention to my specified areas of interest, especially at night. I will let the images below do the explaining.

Model Part 3

So I have completed my final model, however my major concern is that you cant really see or notice the touchscreen panels very easily as the structures dominate peoples attention. The only really noticeable ones are in the park on the ground. I'm thinking this may cause confusion about my design. I'm considering removing the top part of the building unless I can think of a way to resolve this issue. Currently I think my previous model is much more informing...

Scanning And Projecting

Like most of my design, its the utilization of existing technology. The user in my design interacts with the touch screen in a similar fashion that the user is interacting with the keyboard below. A projector projects the image and a laser scans the movement and use of fingers to navigate the interface.

Possible Interfaces

So today I was looking at other forms of interface which I can implement other than projection. I found a couple of interesting ones from microsoft and sony using different technology.

I think the flexibility of the sony device is quite remarkable, but in the end it comes down to the fact that when compared to my purpose, project is the most cost efficient method as well as the most sustainable.

Model Part 2

So DaVor gave me a new model idea when he said if I can i should make something using an ipad to represent the touch screen etc, however I don't own a touchpad or anything like that. I also thought that a model where a screen is the size of an ipad would have to be a pretty big model. So i thought that I could just use my phone, that way it would be easier to make a scale model, so today I got some more laser cutting done (still building my main model (it is bigger than i anticipated))
So below the images shows my phone being used as if it was a panel in a train station, while the panel's on either side have been turned off and display a transparent background.

I think this model is quite effective at displaying the implementation of my design so far..

Backtracking 3

Finally going through possible solutions making sure they relate back to the initial issue.

Real eye-phone

After more research, I saw that there was technology where you could control your phone by blinking and thought that if i could implement this into my panel or design (thinking about what Pranav said in the 6th sense video about taking technology back a step to the 4 or 5th sense for people who didnt have limbs etc, that they could still use the device etc) I however came to the conclusion that using blinking etc to use a public screen would be too confusing and complicated and most likely cause more problems than solve. I think it might be useful for a personal device but definitely not public.

Interface - Eye phone

I was researching some interface images and came across this vid clip which made me think, is it possible to take my design in this direction? Or could my design at least evolve to this kind of stage at some point..

Backtracking 2

After identifying the problem, I then looked further into identifying the causes of the problem, as these are the issues i need to directly address to solve the problem.

New model idea

Tonight I just thought of a new idea for my model! if i use a torch to project images, and i just put images infront of the torch so it projects similar to that of a batman symbol.

 

 

However my idea did not work, and nothing really showed up...

Model Development

So this week I started thinking about making a model even though my design has not been properly resolved. I however am pretty sure of the direction I am heading in, and that my model should be more to show the implementation of my design, as I do not have the knowledge, ability or time to create anything like a 6th sense device. In terms of designing my model layout, I tried to incorporate all the areas that I would possibly want to implement my design.

After trying a couple of layouts i decided it would be easier to just use the same layout as my sketchup model which can be seen below.






So tomorrow i will head to the workshop n hopefully get everything cut!
The other reason I want to do the model early is because it helps me find issues with my design which i would have otherwise missed until it is too late, and also because it is impossible to get into the workshop in the last couple of weeks!

Backtracking

So i'm just doing a quick backtrack process to make sure i'm on the right path, as in projects like this I slowly but steadily tend to veer off path.

The above image ensure that the design process i'm currently heading down still addresses the initial problem.

Location Location Location

My main concern I guess is where I am going to implement these screens and what can I do to ensure people use them.

My first idea is to put them in public transport terminals e,g, train stations, bus stops etc. I think this would be very efficient as it can also display timetable information. But also when someone is waiting for a bus they generally have nothing to do, and they are then more likely to participate and use the technology for the intended purpose. It has already been implemented with advertising in such areas, because people have nothing else to do so they read and pay attention to the ads. Also the mX newspaper which is heavily distributed in the Myer center is such a big hit because people don't have anything else to do while they wait.

And it's not just limited to walls, the link below shows an example of this technology being implemented with feet on the floor.
Cube Projection System

New Technologies part 2

Yesterday DaVor showed us a video of even more advanced technology which is posted below.

The technology he is developing is much more sophisticated for the application that my design requires, but there is nothing saying that it can't be incorporated or advanced to that stage. I believe towards the end of the video he also states that the system he created is around $2-300 which is quite cheap considering that an ipad2 is around $800. It shows that the technology can be cheaply and informatively implemented for all to use.

Existing Applications

There are already several instances where interactive touch screen technology is in use, it's just in a very small limited scale and used particularly for a limited purpose.

This first image above, is an interactive real estate application allowing people to scroll through and look at different properties and their features.

The second image is taken in an airport in England and is the worlds largest interactive touch screen, it's 18m long, but with current technology, it is said that it would be no problem creating a screen that is 800m long.

My idea is along these lines, except that it allows people to send and receive information between parliament and the people.

New Technologies

The following video is about new forms of interactive technology that an industrial student has completed for his masters. The second video is about his development and testing of the product.

Development Video

Bridging the Gap part 2

So the form of media that i'm most likely going to use to communicate between the public and government is going to be in the form of interactive touch screens. Technology today allows us to make these items simply and easily. Products such as smart-phones and tablet computers have advanced touch screen displays of all sizes and also in projector formats using laser technology to calculate the location of the "touch".

My idea is basically to create a touch screen interface system which allows people to see read and see news about new political changes in plain and simple english, detailing its impacts on the community and surrounding area and also why they are being implemented. People will then be able to provide feedback on these issues as they will be better informed and also the feedback will be more relevant as they will be able to better understand the issues at hand.
This doesn't mean that these screens will be limited to provide information about politics. They will inform the public about certain information relevant in that particular area.
E.g. if located at a bus station the information provided may be:
-bus timetable
-weather
-political information
-changes to anything public transport e.g. price increases or busway upgrading etc

Bridging the Gap

After looking for a way to create a communication bridge between the government and the people, the following videos showcase what is possible technologically.

Communication Gap part 2

The above video explains how youth in Germany are interested in politics and government, however for the most part they do not understand it. This is also a part of the communication gap, and so another factor that I need to consider is whatever method I use to bridge this gap needs to be able to cater for most ages i.e. 16+

Communication Gap

Because of the communication gap, the people don't know/understand what the government is doing and why they are doing it.

Take for example if you go to the doctor and describe a few symptoms to him/her. The doctor then tells you that you have micardisyphalitis, gives you a box of pills and tells you to take 2 a day. You are left in the dark, you don't know what's wrong with you, you don't know what you are taking, and you don't know what the effects of your following actions will entail.
If however the doctor told you, you have micarisyphalitis, a normal chest infection, i'm giving you a box of these pills, they are amoxocillian, a general antibiotic which will help you fight off the infection while you rest.
You now understand what you have, what it's doing to your body, what you are taking to fight it and what its effects are.

Just like your suburb may complain to the councilor/government that your roads always have pot-holes and there is always roadworks going on in the community and its damaging cars.
The government says, okay! we'll fix it, we've implemented Act 2.1231231 Restriction of Motor Vehicles in Suburban Areas under the PAMD Motor Act of 1999.
The population does not know what that means, and most of them will not have the time or effort to go and read through and interpret the legal jargon.
However if the government said, road deterioration is due to large trucks taking short cuts and driving over suburban roads causing overuse of the road. We've implemented Act 2.1231231 Restriction of Motor Vehicles in Suburban Areas under the PAMD Motor Act of 1999 which basically states that trucks and other large machinery cannot drive through suburban areas and must stay on major arterial roads.

Now everybody understands everybody and what actions the government take are understood by the public.