Creative Technologies 2015 @dbrown-creativetech - Tumblr Blog

Steps

Phase 1: Test different ways of obtaining the 3D data.

sensors (Kinect V1 / V2)

software techniques : Fusion libraries for manual coding which can be done in C# or C++, testing out 3rd party software and comparing results. Single shot + stitching together vs continuous scanning.

rotating the person vs rotating the camera around a static person

Once these experiments have been concluded we can move onto the next phase

Phase 2: Skeletal data export

capturing a snapshot of the skeletal data for the subject and exporting this to a meaningful format

determine the distance that the Kinect sensor needs to be in order to get the best skeletal reading

determine a file format that makes sense for the remaining steps of the project

These are somewhat straightforward objectives with clear outcomes so its just a question of obtaining the data and exporting successfully.

Phase 3: Camera rig and person platform control

a camera rig that supports the kinect and allows for the device to move so that we can capture all the required data with ease

platform that can be controlled by a motor to provide smooth and continuous movement

positioning of each Kinect to ensure that we capture all the required data both depth and skeletal

At this stage we should have a physical artefact that allows us to capture the data that we need successfully.

Phase 4: Putting it together

This is one of the hardest parts, mapping the skeletal data to the

The story thus far

So what type of project have I been doing this semester?

The title of this project is still open to change but as a working title it currently sits as : “Project: Human Digitization”.

The core technical concept behind this is to scan a person using a depth scanner such as the Kinect - using that depth data to create a 3d model that is textured with what that person is wearing at the time of scanning. This model is then rigged using the skeletal data extracted from the user so that it matches the model do a certain degree of accuracy... once this data is collected - they are combined to produce a rigged avatar of the scanned person.

This avatar can then be imported into a game engine such as Unity or Unreal and controlled with a Kinect.

From a presentation standpoint I think that this is quite a fun outcome - to be scanned then a few mins later be controlling a likeness of yourself on the screen.

#studio

Break the silence~

It has been a few weeks since I have added entries into the mystery of my blog so I need to break the seal and get the ball rolling, start to formulate my ideas on paper and allow them to flow through me and onto this blog!

Sounds kinda deep huh!?

Kinect Depth Data

To get and display depth data, you must first initialize the sensor. Here are the tasks for initializing the sensor to generate depth data.

Enumerate Kinect sensors

Enable Data Streaming

Start the Kinect

Once you have initialized the sensor, you are ready to get the next frame of data.

Implement an event handler

Allocate storage for the data

Get the data

After getting the next frame of data, these tasks store the data.

Create a bitmap

Convert the depth data to rgb

Store the data in the bitmap

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj131029.aspx

#kinect #depth data

A New Beginning

I have taken Synthetic Realities this semester and looking forward to producing something rather challenging and unique.

The initial idea is a sort of digitizer.... of a human! ... Think something along the lines of the movies “The Fly”. A subject steps into a chamber... a few puffs of smoke and lasers later... out pops a digital avatar of the people scanned and rigged.

The model can then be seen on the display and is able to be manipulated by the Kinect.

#synthetic realities

Final Reflection

So the final essay submission has been done and it was interesting to look back at my blog posts and see the process that I had gone through to arrive at this point.

I find it good to know that I eventually did apply some form of structure to my design and hopefully was able to articulate that through the essay.

Greater Good. Such a heady subject format to address in a semester long project that it seems almost impossible to come up with something that would satisfy that criteria sufficiently. While the greater good component of my pram project was focussed on quite a small section of society it has made me think about the reasons behind my idea generation.

When I started this paper I wasn't sure what to expect, now I feel that I have some sort of creative guideline that I can follows. I will take that knowledge away with me and hopefully be able to apply it to future projects.

#Emerging Practices #greater good

Project Presentation

My presentation was in video form which is much easier to digest than a slideshow and I feel was received quite well. The sections that were designed to shock the viewers got the desired gasps of disbelief and I feel that my gentle monotone delivery was suitable for the subject matter.

The discussion that followed was interesting, the video seemed to provoke peoples imagination as to how I would achieve the end result. This was by design as the video didn't illustrate any potential designs but instead outlined the problem and how I got my information.

The reason for doing it that way was to place emphasis on the process of discovery, and not so much on the final artefact. This arose from a conversation with Ricardo where he drew my attention to the fact that given enough parameters a design team would be able to come up with several prototypes but this was not the goal of the exercise. Hopefully I got that point across.

#Emerging Practices #presentation #pram

Pram Stop - My Emerging Practices video around the pram stop project.

#Emerging Practices

Final Submission : Ideas

After some guidance from Ricardo I have stepped away from trying to create a physical prototype of my idea. Instead the focus of this presentation is around process of arriving at the idea, its relevance to the people that would use it (parents of toddlers) and if the idea has any market in the real world.

Something that piqued my interest was a discussion around not trying to make your idea fit the scenario.. instead present the problem and see what questions arise from this organically. A way of thinking about it is to try and disprove the need for this solution.. that way it is more apparent the path to take in devising a suitable outcome.

With these things in mind I will be putting together a video... ideally in the form of a mini documentation to capture this process.

At this stage I am not sure how well this will turn out and if the idea will come across successfully.

I will be doing a survey and talking to parents at The Parenting Place in Greenlane shortly to get some feedback.

#Emerging Practices

Quick Pitch Project Feedback

During the session we did a quick pitch of our idea, illustrating what we had learned over the course of the semester and how we have applied this to our idea generation and ultimately how it has influenced the project brief.

As each group presented their idea we are invited to follow up with three schools of questioning :

Something that I thought was interesting / thought provoking

A question around the proposed idea, clarification or suggestion

If this were my project how would I approach it / what would I do differently

These notes are then handed back to the group for review.

I found this process rather informative after my pitch for several reasons. Firstly, I had to actually articulate my idea into a meaningful package that made sense when presented.. this meant that the idea had to be coherent and clear. If I had any blatant holes in my thought process then this became apparent here.

Secondly, the pitch made me evaluate the reasoning behind my wanting to do this. I think that if you have a real reason to produce and idea; an idea that has relevance to your life, then I the outcome will take a better form.. something that has relevance in the world.

Thirdly, one of my feedback notes suggested that I look at a completely different approach in that can this be avoided completely by adopting a different transport mechanism other than a pram! Which is an interesting way to look at things, each comment was helpful in evaluating the progress and merits of my idea.

#Emerging Practices

Lo-Fi Modelling of My Idea

So, my idea is to address the potential issue of pram safety... there are a few requirements around this that I want to include.

1\ Low cost to implement

2\ Modular to be used / installed on many different prams

3\ Easy to install and use... intuitive learning curve

4\ low chance of failure

5\ easy to reset

6\ reliable trigger

With these things in mind I have sketched a few options on how the mechanism will work.

Stopping Mechanism

This component is key to the success of the device.. how should the pram be stopped... should this be an abrupt stop or a gradual slow down? My thoughts on this are that it should be a swift and decisive stop of the pram... the reason behind this is that there may be minimal distance that the pram would travel before it (and the occupant) is in imminent danger... such as a train track. The sooner it stops moving the better.

This line of thinking gives rise to a couple of stopping mechanics that might be appropriate. The thing to consider here is where to apply that stopping force? How would you stop a moving object that has wheels?

An anchor of some sort to adhere to the ground... like a spiderman web!? This would be good as a one shot... but it isn’t a good idea for multiple uses. Costly as a result and cumbersome to re-load.

A mechanism that lifts the pram wheels off the ground to stop any further wheel based movement... replacing the bottom with a set of stilts (not high.. perhaps only lifting the wheel about 1 - 2 cm off the ground) or a box like object to lift the pram up. This could cause instability in the overall pram... although the wheels would only be lifted off the ground enough to stop them adhering to the ground.. it would need a way to reset all the wheels. This may not be practical for larger wheeled prams. This option may also have problems depending on which way the pram is moving.

Applying a brake directly to the wheel like a traditional bicycle.. this seems to be the most logical option as it has the widest application across multiple pram wheel sizes. The brake would be applied directly to the tyre surface using a spring loaded mechanism.. much like a peg.

So...if I am to choose from that list I would go with the peg style option. As this seems to have the simplest and most versatile implementation method.

#Emerging Practices #pram stop

Lo-Fi Modelling

Throughout the creative process there are invariably times when you need to prototype and idea or concept.. breathe some form into an idea and give it some tangible shape. This process is valuable and quite necessary if you need to quickly implement a feature of your design.... this could be for presentation or simply to visualize a physical component.

This also serves as a good starting point if you have no clear outcome from an idea.. such was the result of our paper amplifier exercise. Given a basic and vague brief and given only a few minutes and limited resources - the end result was something that was (in my case) mildly functional but a clear starting point for development.

I felt that this process was quite useful to the overall development process.. being able to see failures early and gain valuable feedback from clients and colleagues alike really help to shape an idea into something greater than its original inception.

#emergent practices

Brainstorm

The most recent assignment for this paper has left me in a somewhat insulate situation as I am working solo on this project. However I have a different set of influences when it comes to storming ideas around the core theme of my project.

I am working on the idea of something that will better the lives of babies and/or parents as they go about their daily lives. This can be in the form of many different things, from financial savings to time savings, enhanced or new methods of engaging the baby to a specific end... education, learning, growing or feeding are a few examples.

I have been using my time with my newborn to really understand what I would find most useful, examining the repetitive tasks that we perform to soothe the baby or clean and dress her and asking myself questions such as ... how can this be improved??

This raises another point that has steered me away from improving certain aspects of baby care... and that is the human / parental element is really needed here... I could devise a way to mechanize these actions such as device that would rock and pat the bottom of the baby.. but this misses that important human bonding contact that a parent and a child should be experiencing, the true soothing aspect that a baby seeks when they need consoling.

With that said, I decided to dismiss similar devices.. new ways to swaddle a baby, a ‘pod’ that acts as a cot with temperature sensor, mobile reporting and a hydrophobic coating to resist spills of all kinds!

My focus has now turned to safety, particularly around pram safety in light of a several videos illustrating how human error is a huge problem when it comes to runaway prams...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3VhD4dqLZM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FBVsxb5lvM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w6_ODVA5EA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQm25nW6aZw

The guardian of the pram makes several assumptions in these situations that ultimately lead to the accident..

Primarily they believe that the pram wont run away because the brakes are on or in a secure position.

Secondly they are not paying attention.. on their cellphone, day dreaming or attending another child.

My idea for this comes in the form a system or a key that is attached to the guardians wrist / belt or person in some way that has to be inserted into the pram handle to disengage the brakes. As the pram rolls away the key is removed and the brakes engage... I feel that this system would really address those situations when the guardian isn’t paying attention to the situation.

An extension to this idea would be to have this as a kit that can be attached to current prams in addition to being built into new prams.

#emerging practices #prams #safety

Handpose promises the holy grail of motion detection: fast, accurate hand recognition.

#kinect #hand tracking

Modern Design Ideals

http://electroluxdesignlab.com/en/#applications

The Electrolux Design Lab competition has some very interesting outcomes that blend design with functionality.. albeit conceptual.... however this has helped me to understand what a prototype might be like for my own designs.

This video touches on a rather important aspect of new technology and that is the visual aesthetics of the device.. ‘in the future we will need more decorative products as we may not have the space to hide them away’... ‘making the products a feature of the living space’. An interesting idea which is one of Apples key marketing components... making a product deeply desirable based on its appearance and how you will be perceived by others for having this product.

#emergent practices

Project Brief

Goals and Vision :

Throughout this project I aim to investigate ways in which I can identify and reduce the environmental, social, financial and/or physical burden that is placed on parents through the course of raising a newborn baby (0 - 1 year+).

I find this particularly relevant to my current situation as I begin to raise a new baby of my own, I am becoming increasingly aware of the amount of consumable products that a baby consumes with no real reusable component.

The commodities that I find most precious at this stage is not a financial one but time. A lot of time and effort is spent maintaining the baby, feeding, soothing, nursing, documenting and generally overseeing (with adoration) her day to day life. While this is a labour of love, the subsequent lack of time is an unfortunate by-product of this process. I would like to look into any ways with which this process could be better managed through the use of technology to help improve the quality of life for both parents and children alike.

Budget and Schedule :

There is no real budget for this project other than time and effort... I have a test subject and am currently immersed in the environment that I want to affect and improve upon... in this way; I too am a test subject. The working schedule for this project is the remaining 7 weeks of the semester, however this doesn't stop there.. depending on my findings and results I would like to see a tangible change that I can share with more people who are in the same situation as myself.

Target Audience :

Parents and babies alike, however if a suitable solution arises it could have further reaching implications that would improve on the aspects listed above.

Deliverables :

It is my hope that I will deliver a working solution and or prototype that addresses at least one aspect of child raising that will be of benefit to the baby, parent or both.

#emergent practices #greater good

this is not an EXAM

The faux exam was good opportunity to reflect upon my own ability to reflect and show my understanding of the subject matter.

I was not expecting to have to grade my own results which really made me look at my answers in a different light. I feel that I automatically slip into a certain style of writing when it comes to exams such that I try to elaborate on key points to show that I have a wider range of understanding mixed with my own interpretation of the question.

When grading this I was made very aware of where I waffled to maybe pad out an answer and where I was rather more concise.

Overall I feel that I did fairly well but it bought to light the process that I should be following rather than the one that I am current implementing in terms of reflection. Funnily enough the suggestions that I put forward for possible improvements on my reflective process are ones that I really should be doing myself... yet I haven’t done yet... ill have to take a leaf from my own book and get onto this some more!

#emergent practices #exam reflection

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Creative Technologies 2015