Aug 14, 2018
Mobile devices like iPads and Androids have transformed the way we experience boredom. No longer is a wayward commuter forced to play Snake or Tetris, oc...
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Mobile devices like iPads and Androids have transformed the way we experience boredom. No longer is a wayward commuter forced to play Snake or Tetris, oc...
White Cane for the Blind Reinvented as a Vibrating App
The app is called Arianna, which was developed by Pierluigi Gallo and friends at the University of Palermo in Italy, and uses a simple but ingenious idea. Various paths are mapped out through a building with colored tape on the ground, which the smartphone camera picks up as the user waves the phone back and forth. When the line passes under the user’s finger on the screen, the the smartphone will vibrate to provide a tactile indication of where the line falls.
The app has lots of potential for upgrades as well, for example QR codes could be placed on the ground to provide users with other information such as where the toilets, water coolers, and shops are located. Another idea the team has thought of is using infrared lines in place of tape so that they are not visible, but can still be picked up by infrared-sensitive smartphone cameras.
OK, this is a legit way for apps and QR codes to make an experience accessible in new and universal ways. Plus I'm all about better wayfinding.
App for tablets: Touch Van Gogh - What paintings can reveal
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is doing something unique, they've created an app that lets users deconstruct some of the master's greatest works. The idea for the app started with a simple question, how can you share with museum goers Van Gogh's inspiration, his real life subject matter, or even how he went about creating these pieces? And, how do you do this in a way that stimulates the viewer, challenging them to study the work up close?
What I love about this app, is that it doesn't take away from the physical experience of the work itself. Many times, in an effort to engage audiences apps, videos and other content are created. Unfortunately, these engagement tools sometime compete with the work itself. And many times for younger viewers, they overpower the work. With the Van Gogh app, I feel convinced that they've figured out a simple way to revolve all the additional content around the physical piece itself. By highlighting the real location, technique or what might have been on the canvas before it's current incarnation, the app draws viewers to examine what's physically before them more closely, and with a critical eye. For younger and more diverse audiences, it helps explain process, an often complicated path for non artists to comprehend. And I would argue a potential source of inspiration for all those aspiring artists.
I really believe that apps which help us better understand the physical object we are seeing before us, truly help us build a better appreciation for art as a whole. I hope this is only the beginning!
The Cleveland Museum of Art, my hometown institution has really pushed the envelope of today's app trends, to build something unique to the museum space. Through ArtLens, the Cleveland Museum has put the power of your specific museum experience in your hands. A first and something many others are soon to follow.
