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from the can't-we-go-back-to-stone-tablets? dept.
Scientists from MIT Media Lab have created a shape-changing wearable device that they call LineFORM:
We propose a novel Shape Changing Interface which has the form of a "Line". Lines have several interesting characteristics from the perspective of interaction design: abstractness of data representation; a variety of inherent interactions / affordances; and constraints as boundaries or borderlines. By utilising such aspects of lines together with the added capability of shape-shifting, we present various applications in different scenarios such as shape changing cords, mobiles, body constraints, and data manipulation to investigate the design space of line-based shape changing interfaces.
Via NextBigFuture:
LineFORM starts with a line; a linear series of actuators that can move independently or together to arrange itself in new shapes. In one demo, it's wrapped around a wrist like a high-tech Slap Wrap. In this configuration, it's able to convey a notification through haptic feedback, uncoiling its end and gently tapping a user's wrist. Its creators ask us to imagine this forming the core structure of a mobile device, presumably replete with a display, microphone and speaker. On receiving the notification, the user then unfurls it, and it contracts into a rectangular prism. After he taps away on an imaginary display, it shape-shifts into an old-timey telephone.
There's also the potential for LineFORM to act as an intelligent cable. Such a cable would be capable of recognizing a number of modules, transforming where necessary. On recognizing an attached light bulb, the robot jolts into action, almost-instantaneously becoming a posable lamp, complete with three-dimensional dimmer switch.
LineFORM: Actuated Curve Interfaces for Display, Interaction, and Constraint [full paper]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Wednesday November 11 2015, @03:38PM
... did any of that bullcrap mean?
Lines have no more abstract a data representation than points, surfaces, or solids. Lines have no more inherent interations than points, surfaces, or solids. Lines are only bondaries for surfaces, they aren't boundaries for points, lines, or solids.
I see this shit all the time, my company proofreads a lot of papers intended for (often vanity) journals where the authors want to pretend that they have something insightful to say, and do this through the mechanism of stringing 20 10-letter words together incoherently.
I'm not complaining really, in fact, bring it on! These are some of our highest-paying clients! Fools and their money should be parted as soon, and as often, as possible.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by kurenai.tsubasa on Wednesday November 11 2015, @04:04PM
Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has no idea what's going on here. I mean, it's neat and all.
On receiving the notification, the user then unfurls it, and it contracts into a rectangular prism. After he taps away on an imaginary display, it shape-shifts into an old-timey telephone.
Unfurl… rectangular prism… imaginary display… old-timey… wibbly-wobbly… stuff?
Maybe I just need some more coffee….
(Score: 2) by jimshatt on Wednesday November 11 2015, @04:16PM
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 11 2015, @05:18PM
"Lines have several interesting characteristics from the perspective of interaction design: abstractness of data representation; a variety of inherent interactions / affordances; and constraints as boundaries or borderlines."
Think of it this way. The "Line" has a series of identical and independent joints. You can represent any configuration of the Line as how the joints bend, basically as a row of numbers, each representing a near identical trait or parameter of a joint in the sequence. That's the "abstractness of data representation". The "variety of inherent inactions/affordances" comes from the versatility of the form - for example the "phone" video fragment from the link where a dude holds a Line which has shifted itself into sort of a phone shape is a very crude example of a space-filling curve [wikipedia.org] for a tailored shape. And while I'm not entirely confident about what "constraints as boundaries or borderlines" means, one obvious case is self-collision avoidance. You don't want the Line trying to force a piece of itself through itself. At best, it's a waste of energy. At worst, you broke it.
Consider instead a different form, a robot with all the degrees of freedom of the human body. Because each joint is unique with different strength, mobility, and speed, you can't apply the same logic to moving an elbow as you would moving a jaw without some serious transformation of the code. This leads to a very complex state space with complex constraints on the parameters of motion. The form is pretty good for moving about and manipulating objects, but it's a bit weak at assuming shapes - think yoga mime here. Finally, it would be a serious pain to figure out when you're trying to pass your elbow through your forehead just from looking at the parameters.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday November 11 2015, @06:17PM
That's why these guys are obsessed with 1D designs, because somebody already published 2D ones.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday November 12 2015, @12:23AM
Yeah, now explain to me why all the recent "self-forming" robots have been based on a flat sheet, and using principles of origami.
That's why these guys are obsessed with 1D designs, because somebody already published 2D ones.
I don't know why 2D robots would be more attractive for this sort of thing than 1D. The latter has a lot going for it, computationally.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday November 12 2015, @03:24PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by slinches on Wednesday November 11 2015, @05:27PM
All that it means is that they didn't want to call it a snake, because snakes are scary.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday November 11 2015, @06:26PM
That's what the second part of the summary, or the pretty pictures/video in TFAs are for.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday November 12 2015, @03:33PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @10:24PM
I didn't know the word affordance so I looked it up; here's an example of its use in a sentence:
—http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/affordance
HTH.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2015, @10:27PM
Wikipedia tries to explain it, too: when one can an action on an item, or in an environment, the fact that the action is possible is an affordance. For instance, the handle on a cup creates an affordance for holding the cup.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance [wikipedia.org]