A Conversation with Actuators

Abstract

An exciting, expanding palette of hybrid materials is emerging that can be programmed to actuate by a range of external and internal stimuli. However, there exists a dichotomy between the physicality of the actuators and the intangible computational signal that is used to program them. For material practitioners, this lack of physical cues limits their ability to engage in a "conversation with materials" (CwM). This paper presents a creative workstation for supporting this epistemological style by bringing a stronger physicality to the computational signal and balance the conversation between physical and digital actors. The station utilizes a streaming architecture to distribute control across multiple devices and leverage the rich spatial cognition that a physical space affords. Through a formal user study, we characterize the actuation design practice supported by the CwM workstation and discuss opportunities for tangible interfaces to hybrid materials. CCS Concepts•Human-centered computing → Interactive systems and tools; Systems and tools for interaction design;

Clothing suggestions based on comfort extracted from physiological and emotional parameters

“…Likewise other usability studies, a total of 11 participants voluntarily participated in a one-hour-long study (Endow and Torres, 2021; Moradi et al. , 2022; Torres et al. , 2019).…”

“…Later, after the institutional IRB approval, the flyer was sent out to the university announcement and social media. Likewise other usability studies, a total of 11 participants voluntarily participated in a one-hour-long study (Endow and Torres, 2021;Moradi et al, 2022;Torres et al, 2019). Studies provided reliable measurements of heart rate variability with a similar number of sample sizes (Sandercock et al, 2005;Tabei et al, 2020).…”