Teaching

Thinking Physically (Spring 2009)

Our bodies are ripe with the potential to express and perceive, but aspects of our physical selves are often ignored by the devices and communication systems that we use. Even as our technologies become smaller and more versatile, we find ourselves bending down towards our keyboards and screens, and much of what we communicate with our bodies gets lost in translation. In Thinking Physically, we will work to open ourselves back up and embrace the rich capabilities and inherent expressiveness of the human form. Starting with the body itself, we’ll think about how it works and take a brief look at motion studies and biomechanics. Next, we’ll examine how we use our bodies to relate to each other, considering physical social perceptions, proxemics, and cultural contexts. We will then work to become better listeners, striving to sense the subtleties of body language, gesture, and nonverbal communication. Finally, it’s time to put those listening skills to work, designing interfaces that perceive the body’s communicative nature and encourage people to interact in a more physical way. Thinking Physically is a hands-on workshop in which we will get up and move. Students will create experiments and prototypes (both conceptual and technical) in response to weekly topics and design a body-centric final project based on what they’ve learned. Curated uses of the body (dance, physical comedy, sports, etc.), will act as inspiration, but students will focus on the everyman as the target user for the projects they create. With a toolbox of sensors, wearable techniques, and rugged interfaces in hand, we will capture and provoke full-bodied expression. By acknowledging and extending the body’s impact, we will create projects that appeal to the whole physical self.

Topics By Week:
*subject to revision

Week 1 - Introduction: Why Bodies Matter
Week 2 - How the Body Works: Proprioception, Motion Studies, Body as a Mechanical System
Week 3 - Body Context: Proxemics, Environment, and Cultural Gaze
Week 4 - Affordances: Body Meets World
Week 5 - Nonverbal Communication: Talking With Our Bodies
Week 6 - Interpreting Gesture: Designing for Intuitive Interactions
Week 7 - Whole Body Interfaces: Body as Controller
Week 8 - On the Body: Embedding Sensors in Clothing and Gathering Information From On Board
Week 9 - Around the Body: Using Video Sensing to Identify Parts, Actions, and Location in Space
Week 10 - Body History/Body Memory: Logging, Interpreting, and Displaying Body Data
Week 11 - Networked Bodies: Sharing Data Over Distance
Week 12 - Final Project Workshop
Week 13 - Final Projects
Week 14 - Final Projects

Readings:

Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique - Michael J. Gelb
Bodies of Modernity - Tamara Garb
The Design of Everyday Things - Donald Norman
The Hidden Dimension - Edward T. Hall
The Human Figure in Motion - Eadweard Muybridge
Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (”Disembodied Lady”) - Oliver Saks
The Theory of Affordances - James Gibson
The Way We Work - David Macaulay

Assignments:

TBA

Guest Speakers:

TBA

• • Thinking Physically (Spring 2009)
  • Soft Circuit Workshop (Summer 2008)
    • Class 1
    • Class 2
    • Class 3
    • Class 4
    • Class 5
    • Class 6
    • Class 7
    • Class 8
    • Class 9
    • Class 10
    • Class 11
    • Class 12
    • Resource List
    • Resource Map
    • Assignments

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