The Spore system is a hardware and software platform that simplifies the process of creating with light. Each Spore is a softball-sized, WiFi-controlled, individually addressable, battery-operated, Arduino compatible RGB LED module.

With lots of options for input and output, Spore has many other possibilities for future uses.

Design files,software and technical details available at:
github.com/PWRFLcreative/Spore

Spore is a collaboration between Tangible Interaction and Makerlabs/PWRFL, made possible by the Creative BC Interactive Fund.

Individual contributors include:

Tim Rolls - Creative Director and Developer
Leó Stefánsson - Lightwork Developer
Brendan Matkin - Spore Hardware, Firmware, Concept
Alex Beim - Spore Concept
Andrea Buttarini - Spore Design
Daniel J. Pierce - Videographer, Editor
Matt Schroeter - Photographer

Special thanks to generous help from volunteers, including:

Yasu Harada
Marie Harada
Noel Rubin
Ikbel Hammami

OH! is a sculpture/controller for the lights on the geodesic dome at the Telus World of Science in Vancouver, Canada. The controller has 240 embedded sensors which communicate with science world remotely. It is wireless and battery operated. I worked on this as part of my role at Tangible.

I did R&D and interaction design on this project. I prototyped the behaviour and evaluated several potential sensing and communication technologies. I designed the sensors and coordinated their manufacture. I also coordinated another (super talented) developer to build the server-side things and worked with him to get it talking to the dome. 

Here is a demo video of the project, and several images of prototyping and development. 

Smartphones cannot feel, smell or taste, yet they are not without their own senses. Using raw data from the low-level sensors of a cell phone, this film offers a unique point of view on the world as it might appear to our increasingly aware mobile devices.

I made this abstract, short animation as part of Hothouse 9. Hothouse is a 12-week paid apprenticeship in full-on, all-inclusive, real-world animation filmmaking. It took place at the English Animation Studio at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal, QC. The theme for Hothouse 9 was "Reveal Thyself" and the parameter was "Abstract Impressionistic Storytelling". I submitted an application and was one of six chosen out of around 100 applicants.

Included here is the actual film, some film stills, some stills from visualization experiments, and the raw x-ray used in the film (the x-ray is of the same phone used for sensor data capture). 

ʔeləw̓k̓ʷ | Belongings is an interactive tangible tabletop exhibit. My role in this project started as a research assistant doing user experience design. I ended up as the project manager of the final revision and used it for my thesis study. 

For me, the final revision was most interesting. I implemented very specific, dynamic feedback (text hints, colour changes, image outlines, acknowledging incorrect inputs) based on earlier observations, field interviews, and structured data analysis. Then I ran a second study and evaluated the changes. I found several novel design guidelines (detailed in an upcoming paper).

The pictures here are of the final installation at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. The video is based on the first iteration but gives a good idea of the project.

Publications based on this project:
ʔeləw̓k̓ʷ–Belongings: Tangible Interactions with Intangible Heritage
Belongings: a tangible interface for intangible cultural heritage
Design Interactions in ?elәwkw: Belongings
Designing Cultural Values into Interaction
Designing Tangible Interactions to Communicate Cultural Continuity

Blind Spot is an interactive installation that was installed at Beakerhead 2013 in Calgary, AB. It is a large showcase with car inside, surrounded on all sides by 96 motorized louvres. The louvres in front of a visitor close when they approach to look inside, and open up again when they step away. 

I designed and built this project. It was my first major installation. A few friends helped with some of the construction and a bunch of volunteers helped me assemble it on site. There is a PC inside running Processing, which is doing some simple computer vision of six wide-angle webcams. Processing is controlling 96 small servos (one for each louvre) through an Arduino.  

A great friend of mine made the awesome video, which does a great job of capturing people's reactions from the main event night. The images are selections from the construction and prototyping. 

HALO Swarm is an interactive light installation installed at Scitech Discovery Centre in Perth, Australia. I worked on it as part of the Tangible team. There is no central controller in this system - each 'HALO' has its own microcontroller and can only communicate with its 4 immediate neighbours. 

I was lead technical on this project. I coordinated manufacturing, programming, and assembly. I also did prototyping, evaluation, some hardware design and modification, interaction design, and final programming. We had some really unique challenges on this project that only became clear as it was coming together. Additionally, it was being installed on the other side of the world, so it required prepping for a lot of contingencies. Ask me about it if you are interested! 

The first 3 pictures are from an early iteration that we use as a testbed. The rest are from prototyping and installation of the one installed at Scitech in Perth. 

FIREFLIES is an interactive light installation at Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, BC.  It is made up of 10,000 individual LED+sensor 'fireflies' in the pacific rainforest. I worked on this as part of my role at Tangible.

I was technical lead on this project. I also prototyped the IR flashlights, prototyped firefly behaviours, and planned and built the power distribution. Because it is installed for multiple months at a time, outdoors, in the coastal rainforest, in the winter, there were some pretty serious water ingress challenges. It seriously poured; and the water was full of minerals after running through the canopy. I learned many techniques for protecting electronics from water and corrosion.

The pictures here show prototypes and installation. 

WINGED is an interactive installation made for the Fight For Beauty exhibit by Westbank. As a visitor approaches the front, the Westbank 'W' is revealed. When they move side to side, the curve of the reflections shifts. This piece doesn't have a screen - it is physically moving neon inside an infinity mirror with privacy film on the front. I worked on this as part of my role at Tangible.

I did R&D, interaction design, electronics, and programming on this project. I prototyped the behaviour and evaluated several potential sensing technologies. I wrote a simple Processing app to interpret Kinect data. The computer sends data to a microcontroller, which adjusts the opacity of the privacy film and controls the electric actuator to move the back mirror. 

Gardenarium @ the Drive-In Arcade is an interactive installation that was installed at Beakerhead 2014 in Calgary, AB. It was a collaborative project with Paloma Dawkins. In short, it is a mobile video game. We attached a projector to the top of a recycled mini van and turned it into a game controller and concession stand. Inside, the van's steering wheel and a giant joystick control navigation in the game. If you find a pop can in the game, a dispenser sends a real pop can down some rails to the front. In the back, there is an automatic popcorn popper and goofy jawbreaker dispenser. 

I initiated the project and brought Paloma on to do animations for the video game. She ended up developing most of the game too. Her and I did the game design together and I designed and built all the hardware. 

Unfortunately, the later stages of the project were poorly documented, so here are a bunch of progress and prototype pictures.