The Next Level Monday, December 03, 2007 By Patrick Gorman There’s only one place to experience first-hand the future of design and technology from every corner of the globe—Wired magazine’s annual NextFest, which took Los Angeles by storm this Fall. For the second year running, Event Design editors were on the floor, seeking out the hottest, most innovative up-and-coming design solutions and technologies for what has become an annual NextFest recap. The setup for 2007 was similar to the previous year, with exhibition zones set up for technologies that represented the future of security, education, exploration, play, entertainment, transportation, health, communication, robotics, green, and design. This year, interactive was the big buzz word, with designers and technology developers seeking out new ways to engage the public. No fewer than four installations on the floor required attendees to interact with technology via their wireless phones—either to play a game or alter and control environments via lighting and text messages. Presentation screen technologies on display included seamless high-def projection surfaces, and truly three-dimensional, large-scale color LED displays. Green technologies ranged from solar-powered, illuminated window shades to a completely eco-friendly house built right on the show floor. And that’s just a taste of the innovations on display at Wired’s annual design and technology expo. Read on and dig a little deeper into 20 things you missed at this year’s NextFest. Plug. In. What is it? Hitachi Starboard FX 77 Duo Display The Skinny: Think of it as a traditional whiteboard taken to the next level. This digitally projected display from NextFest’s presenting sponsor allows the user to write on-screen in real-time, pull up and interact with graphics and images, and recognizes gestures and touches from multiple users. It integrates seamlessly with wireless tablet computers, reads handwriting, can incorporate live video, and allows users to annotate on-screen. The Starboard FX 77 Duo gave NextFest attendees a taste of where presentation technology is headed. From: Hitachi, Hitachi.com What is it?  ORB The lowdown: The ORB consists of mounted ring of eight-color LEDs that spin so fast (1,750 rpm) viewers can only see an illuminated, moving 3D globe. Fully programmable, the ORB can display static images or animation visible from any angle. On display in the “Portal” entryway at NextFest, the ORB dazzled attendees. Creator: New York University Interactive Telecommunications Program, orb.jamesnsears.com What is it? Digital Orchestra The Skinny: McGill University’s Digital Orchestra reinvents the concept of how music is played. Eschewing traditional musical instruments, the McGill team came up with its own new generation of gesture-controlled music-making devices. Instruments like the “T-Sticks,” which use sensors to respond to how the user positions and moves them through the air, and the “Sonic Jumper,” a bodysuit lined with sensors that turns motion into MIDI sounds, show that the future of music is only limited by the imagination. From: The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology at McGill University, cirmmt.mcgill.ca What is it? VisionCube The Skinny: Hitachi’s 50-inch VisionCube display screens are engineered for reliability and low-maintenance—and they pack a big visual punch. These rear-projected screens deliver high-definition imagery while keeping versatility in mind—they can be stacked on top of one another to create a huge high-def projection surface, with an almost seamless appearance. From: Hitachi, Hitachi.com What is it? Morpho Towers The Skinny: One of the most popular and mesmerizing displays at NextFest, the Morpho Towers were a sight to behold. At first glance, the display appeared to consist of two small, spinning cones set in a thin pool of “ferrofluid” (which looks like black oil). Once a soundtrack starts, electromagnets that surround the display are switched on, and the iron-infused ferrofluid begins to dance up the cones, defying gravity and creating an organic, fluid sculpture. The end result is a true visual treat. From: Sachiko Kodama/Yashushi Miyajima, kodama.hc.uec.ac.jp/spiral/ What is it? Power-Aware The Skinny: This is no ordinary power strip—its cord provides users with a real-time fiber-optic visual display of how much power the devices plugged into it are consuming. The cord glows brilliant blue, and the more juice it’s using, the brighter it shines. It provides a design-based visual reminder of energy use. From: Interactive Institute, tii.se What is it? ArcHouse The Skinny: The super eco-friendly ArcHouse was home to the “Future of Green” designs at NextFest, but the structure itself was one of the most innovative green designs at the show. To maximize daylight, the curved east façade faces sunrise, the west faces the sunsets, while the south side maximizes the use of solar energy. The green roof provides space for a garden, and all building materials used in its construction are environmentally sustainable. From: Michael McDonough Architects, michaelmcdonough.com What is it? Desktop Factory 125ci 3D Printer The Skinny: The concept of a 3D printer is not new, but a 3D printer that can sit atop a desk? That’s next level. This lil’ guy takes 3D CAD renderings of shapes and components and creates physical 3D models made of a combination of nylon, aluminum, and glass. Considering the fact that most 3D printers are much, much larger than the 125ci, it’s clear to see that the future is now when it comes to 3D printing technology. From: Desktop Factory, desktopfactory.com What is it? NOVA The Skinny: A truly 3D full-color LED display that mesmerized NextFest attendees in the Portal entryway to the main hall. Thousands of LEDs mounted within a framework and housed in translucent plastic spheres can be programmed to run animations, color morphs, and pretty much any 3D application imaginable. The hi-res animations can be viewed from any angle, and can run as fast as 25 volumes per second. The future of LED displays looks bright. From: Horao, horao.biz What is it? Energy Curtain The Skinny: What provides shade during the day and light at nighttime? The Energy Curtain, that’s what. This window curtain is made of fabric embedded with both solar cells and light emitting material, so while it works as a shade during the day, it’s actually collecting energy to display an illuminated pattern at night. Talk about all-in-one solutions. From: Interactive Institute, tii.se What is it? Brainloop The Skinny: This incredible interface operates on brainwaves—and takes users wherever they choose to go across a digital landscape. Employing a “Brain Computer Interface,” users are hooked up to a computer via a piece of headgear that senses brainwaves. This allows them to move through projected Google Earth landscapes by just imagining command motions—such as thinking the words move forward, backwards, or sideways. Now that’s interactive! From: Aksioma Institute for Contemporary Arts, aksioma.org What is it? Element The skinny: Interactive Institute designers discovered a way to use the heat from light bulbs (usually considered lost energy) to warm up a space—and they did it in visually appealing fashion. By combining metal, glass, and an array of 35 conventional light bulbs, designers created a space heater that heats as good as it looks. The brightness of the bulbs increases or decreases depending on the amount of energy being used, so it’s also easy to see the unit’s output level at any time. From: Interactive Institute, tii.se What is it? Cell Phone Disco The Skinny: This is one of many creations on display at NextFest that responds directly to users’ wireless phones. The Cell Phone Disco install combines red LEDs set between huge panels of glass, equipped with sensors that detect the electromagnetic field that surrounds active wireless phones. As an active phone is held near the display, the red LEDs react, creating a brilliant light show (especially when multiple users are involved). From: Informationlab, informationlab.org What is it? Globe 4D The Skinny: A truly interactive install, the Globe 4D projects a globe onto a static dome, but users’ touch sets the projection in motion—and back in time. Using projection technology and sensors in the hardware, spinning the dome rotates the planet projection, whole rotating the ring around the dome sends the planet back in time—up to 750 million years into the past. Perfect for use in museums and other interactive environs. From: Leiden University, globe4d.com What is it? Multi-Touch Collaborative Wall The skinny: This 16-foot-long high-resolution display wall responds to the touches and gestures of multiple users—even if those users are touching separate sections of the screen simultaneously. The rear-projected screen allows users to manipulate maps, play games, and brainstorm in a super-scale format. Zooming in on sections of projected content is as easy as spreading your fingers apart, and can be controlled from anywhere on the screen’s surface. From: Perceptive Pixel, multi-touchscreen.com What is it? Wind and Swimming Message System The Skinny: Nanika designers found a way to turn text messages into art with this creation. The install consists of a series of monitors mounted horizontally next to one another, with a graphic background running across the screens. In the “Wind” setting, users send a message to a specified number and the text appears onscreen, before being gently blown across the screens over an image of a forest or wheat field. In the “Swimming” setup, the words mimic the motions of a fish, and wiggle across a watery background. From: Nanika, nanikawa.com What is it? Megaphone The Skinny: Megaphone effectively combines digital signage and interactive gaming. It’s a program that allows users to play a variety of short mini-video games with their wireless phones. Each game clocks in at under one minute, and players use either voice or touchpad controls to maneuver characters onscreen. The large display screen allows multiple players a clear view of the action, and high scores are posted at the end of each round. From: New York University Interactive Telecommunications Program, playmegaphone.com What is it? Skinplex – Body Area Network The Skinny: One of the more futuristic and innovative solutions in the “Future of Security” zone at NextFest, this advanced sensor technology uses the conductivity of a user’s skin to identify them and to transmit data. It can identify individual users via their skin (for security applications such as starting a car or gaining cell phone access), and perform tasks like unlocking doors and windows for specific individuals only. From: Ident Technology, ident-technology.com What is it? MEME The Skinny: This light and motion/theater display relies entirely on the interaction of users. Heart rate monitors and skin-response sensors embedded in the benches of the display architecture measure the user’s physiological feedback as they watch video of a performance, and spin weighted strings hung from motors on the ceiling accordingly. The faster your heart rate, the faster the response of the spiraling strings, making the audience and their biofeedback a part of the show itself. From: Royal College of Art, lovehertz.com What is it? TXTual Healing The Skinny: Allows users to send text messages to a specified number, then watch them appear on a large projection screen as text bubbles in animation scenes that include cartoon scenes, or as graffiti on flat surfaces like the side of a building. This interactivity made the install one of the more popular destinations on the floor at NextFest among younger visitors. From: Paul Notzold, txtualhealing.com
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