MEDIATED SPACES

Example of mediated spaces. Ongoing prototyping as part of EIT ICT Labs Mediating Presence, TU Delft WhyFactory, labelled 'Softwall'.

In our EU-project COMPEIT, real-time video and audio streams are combined with embedded smart devices and building components that respond to users’ presence by local action or remote interaction. KTH Smart Spaces is responsible for the development of what we refer to as Mediated Spaces:

Technical devices and communicating elements may be discretely embedded into the architectural design of a physical environment in ways that create mediated spaces (can also be referred to as mixed-reality architecture). In other words, the architectural space around you may prompt you in an immediate and surprising way. We have formulated a scenario that illustrates an architectural interface to COMPEIT:

Spatial Connectedness Scenario:

You are in the office where this nice pattern covers a large part of the wall 

You actually know this pattern quite well; it is a representation of a room in the local children’s hospital, where your daughter is checked in since a few weeks. It is nice, and not intrusive, and allows you to see the activity in the room reflected through this nice pattern throughout the day. This evening you will see her again.

Or…

It is a representation of the branch-office, where most of your close colleagues work. Now you can see there is movement – a sudden colourful jet changes the pattern across the wall – so, your friend must have arrived to the office (see picture below): 

Now there is movement across the wall, a new pattern emerges, so your friend must have arrived to the office

See a filmclip of the Spatial Connectedness wall here (Mockup by Charlie Gullström and Leif Handberg):

You decide to prompt him since you are quite eager to discuss the current project.

Since this is an on-going collaboration, your colleague has allowed you to Share A Mediated Space anytime. You often prefer this pattern wall to seeing the noisy open-plan office in the branch-office. You don’t really want to be disturbed by them on a regular basis. Real-time footage from a remote location would be intrusive, even without audio... – But this time you decide to open a VideoWindow (see below):

Soon you realise that you also need to draw together, so you open a SketchingTable.

 

See a Sketching Table filmclip here (From a collaboration with John Stallmeyer and students and UIUC in spring 2014) 

It bothers you that your colleague’s office has such poor lighting. You can hardly see him and decide to RemoteControl the lamps in his space. Again, since you are a trusted colleague, you can monitor several actuators in the remote office. You also feel that the acoustics can be approved, so you Add-A-Textile in both locations to mitigate undesired echo. You can, if you want, change the patterns and introduce sound design elements to the shared space-but this time you refrain.

Around lunchtime, you notice a flickering on your connected curtains by the window (See below).

–Aha, this means your neighbour has prepared lunch. It is a completely open invitation, but you decide to join her.

Here you can see a filmclip of the Softwall prototype above, by TUD Why Factory:

Photos by the Why Factory, TUD

For references, see the report High-fidelity Mock-up, under publications