Physical computing
Encyclopedia
Physical computing, in the broadest sense, means building interactive physical system
s by the use of software and hardware
that can sense and respond to the analog
world. While this definition is broad enough to encompass things such as smart automotive traffic control system
s or factory automation
processes, it is not commonly used to describe them. In the broad sense, physical computing is a creative framework for understanding human beings' relationship to the digital
world. In practical use, the term most often describes handmade art, design or DIY hobby projects that use sensor
s and microcontroller
s to translate analog input to a software system
, and/or control electro-mechanical devices such as motor
s, servo
s, lighting
or other hardware.
, a pioneer in inquiry based learning, developed some of the earliest interactive exhibitry involving computers, and continues to include more and more examples of physical computing and tangible interfaces as associated technologies progress.
, Daniel Rozin, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
, Jonah Brucker-Cohen and VR/Urban.
s are sometimes used to rapidly prototype new digital product concepts in a cost-efficient way. Firms such as IDEO
and Teague
are known to approach product design
in this way.
to more esoteric and pragmatic uses such as machine vision
used in the automation of quality inspection along a factory assembly line
. Exergaming
can be considered a form of physical computing. Other implementations of physical computing include voice recognition, which senses and interprets sound waves via microphones or other soundwave sensing devices, and computer vision
, which applies algorithms to a rich stream of video
data typically sensed by some form of camera. Haptic interfaces are also an example of physical computing, though in this case the computer is generating the physical stimulus as opposed to sensing it. Both motion capture
and gesture recognition
are fields that rely on computer vision to work their magic.
and Fritzing
as well as I-CubeX
help designers and artists to quickly prototype their interactive concepts.
Physical system
In physics, the word system has a technical meaning, namely, it is the portion of the physical universe chosen for analysis. Everything outside the system is known as the environment, which in analysis is ignored except for its effects on the system. The cut between system and the world is a free...
s by the use of software and hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
that can sense and respond to the analog
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
world. While this definition is broad enough to encompass things such as smart automotive traffic control system
Control system
A control system is a device, or set of devices to manage, command, direct or regulate the behavior of other devices or system.There are two common classes of control systems, with many variations and combinations: logic or sequential controls, and feedback or linear controls...
s or factory automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
processes, it is not commonly used to describe them. In the broad sense, physical computing is a creative framework for understanding human beings' relationship to the digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
world. In practical use, the term most often describes handmade art, design or DIY hobby projects that use sensor
Sensor
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...
s and microcontroller
Microcontroller
A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM...
s to translate analog input to a software system
Software system
A software system is a system based on software forming part of a computer system . The term "software system" is often used as a synonym of computer program or software; is related to the application of systems theory approaches in software engineering context and are used to study large and...
, and/or control electro-mechanical devices such as motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s, servo
Servomechanism
thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...
s, lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
or other hardware.
In museums
The ExploratoriumExploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum in San Francisco with over 475 participatory exhibits, all of them made onsite, that mix science and art. It also aims to promote museums as informal education centers....
, a pioneer in inquiry based learning, developed some of the earliest interactive exhibitry involving computers, and continues to include more and more examples of physical computing and tangible interfaces as associated technologies progress.
In art
In the art world, projects that implement physical computing include the work of Scott SnibbeScott Snibbe
Scott Snibbe is an interactive media artist, researcher, and entrepreneur. He is one of the first artists to work with projector-based interactivity, where a computer-controlled projection onto a wall or floor changes in response to people moving across its surface, with his well-known full-body...
, Daniel Rozin, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a Mexican-Canadian electronic artist who works with ideas from architecture, technological theater and performance. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Physical Chemistry from Concordia University in Montreal...
, Jonah Brucker-Cohen and VR/Urban.
In product design
Physical computing practices also exist in the product and interaction design sphere, where hand-built embedded systemEmbedded system
An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
s are sometimes used to rapidly prototype new digital product concepts in a cost-efficient way. Firms such as IDEO
IDEO
IDEO is an international design and innovation consultancy founded in Palo Alto, California, United States with other locations in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Boston, London, Munich, Shanghai, and Singapore, as well as Mumbai, Seoul, and Tokyo. The company helps design products, services,...
and Teague
Teague (company)
Teague is a design consultancy headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1926 by industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague. Rooted in the discipline of industrial design, the company’s offering has evolved over the past eight decades to include interaction design, mechanical design and...
are known to approach product design
Product design
-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
in this way.
In commercial applications
Commercial implementations range from consumer devices such as the Sony Eyetoy or games such as Dance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
to more esoteric and pragmatic uses such as machine vision
Machine vision
Machine vision is the process of applying a range of technologies and methods to provide imaging-based automatic inspection, process control and robot guidance in industrial applications. While the scope of MV is broad and a comprehensive definition is difficult to distil, a "generally accepted...
used in the automation of quality inspection along a factory assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
. Exergaming
Exergaming
Exergaming or exer-gaming is a term used for video games that are also a form of exercise. Exergaming relies on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been credited with upending the stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity, and promoting an active lifestyle...
can be considered a form of physical computing. Other implementations of physical computing include voice recognition, which senses and interprets sound waves via microphones or other soundwave sensing devices, and computer vision
Computer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
, which applies algorithms to a rich stream of video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
data typically sensed by some form of camera. Haptic interfaces are also an example of physical computing, though in this case the computer is generating the physical stimulus as opposed to sensing it. Both motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
and gesture recognition
Gesture recognition
Gesture recognition is a topic in computer science and language technology with the goal of interpreting human gestures via mathematical algorithms. Gestures can originate from any bodily motion or state but commonly originate from the face or hand. Current focuses in the field include emotion...
are fields that rely on computer vision to work their magic.
In scientific applications
Physical computing can also describe the fabrication and use of custom sensors or collectors for scientific experiments, though the term is rarely used to describe them as such.Methods
Prototyping plays an important role in Physical Computing. Tools like ArduinoArduino
Arduino is an open-source single-board microcontroller, descendant of the open-source Wiring platform, designed to make the process of using electronics in multidisciplinary projects more accessible. The hardware consists of a simple open hardware design for the Arduino board with an Atmel AVR...
and Fritzing
Fritzing
Fritzing is an open source software initiative to support designers and artists ready to move from physical prototyping to actual product. It was developed at the University of Applied Sciences of Potsdam.- Goals :...
as well as I-CubeX
I-CubeX
I-CubeX comprises a system of sensors, actuators and interfaces that are configured by a personal computer. Using MIDI,Bluetooth or the Universal Serial Bus as the basis for all communication, the complexity is managed behind a variety of software tools, including an end-user configuration editor,...
help designers and artists to quickly prototype their interactive concepts.
External links
- Arduino, a highly popular open source physical computing platform
- Arieh Robotics Project Junior. A Windows 7 based Physical Computing PC built using Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio.
- BluePD BlueSense. a physical computing platform by Blue Melon. This platform is visually programmable using the popular (open source) Pure Data system.
- Dwengo, a PIC microcontrollerPIC microcontrollerPIC is a family of Harvard architecture microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology, derived from the PIC1650 originally developed by General Instrument's Microelectronics Division...
based computing platform that comes with a BreadboardBreadboardA breadboard is a construction base for prototyping of electronics. The term is commonly used to refer to solderless breadboard ....
for easy prototyping. - EmbeddedLab, A research lab situated within the Department of Computer Aided Architecture Design at http://wiki.caad.arch.ethz.ch/Main/Overview ETH Zürich.
- Fritzing - from prototype to product: a software, which supports designers and artists to take the step from physical prototyping to actual product.
- GP3, another popular choice that allows building physical systems with PCs and traditional languages (C, Basic, Java, etc.) or standalone using a point and click development tool.
- Physical Computing, Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
- Physical Computing by Dan O'Sullivan
- Physical Computing, Tom Igoe's collection of resources, examples, and lecture notes for the physical computing courses at ITP.
- Physical Computing, A path into electronics using an approach of “learning by making”, introducing electronic prototyping in a playful, non-technical way. (Yaniv Steiner , IDII)