As well as creating a photoshop mock up of our chosen space I decided to try and attempt to do a motion stop frame animation to demonstate the way our screen works. I've never made a professional movie before so I tried it the old school way and used some paper and scissors. Here is my attempt:
I think I did a pretty good job considering it took me about an hour to take all the photos and move all the individual bits of paper! This demonstates how our screen works, the coloured squares show the tracking of the RFID tags as the people holding the balloons move round the shopping centre. The shoes indicate someone walking over the screen and the reaction of their feet touching the screen; the squares scatter away from the pressure points.
I have made a Photoshop mock up of the installation in the space. As you can see from the photo the screen will be installed in the centre of the space, in the middle of the walkway so that it is in the optimum position for people to walk over and interact with. The balloons are in the top corner and are available for people to take, the RFID tags will be contained within the balloons and will track the people as they walk round the shopping centre and this trace will appear on the screen as they walk. The idea is that when the screen is walked over the small tracks made by the RFID tags will scatter from the point that the screen is touched. There will be pressure sensors in the screen to detect the pressure made by someone walking over it. This will supply information to the computer which will then cause the tracks to scatter.
For our installation we want to use an interactive screen mounted on the floor so that when people walk over it, it produces a reaction. But before we can plan this out we need to do some background research on interactive screens and flooring to look at the technology itself and see what options we have available to us and decide what would fit best into the space.
Interactive Screens can be used in a number of different locations and for many different purposes. Some shops use them on the front of their windows as advertsing that people can go up to and touch to find out more information about the products, and they can also be used in schools on the interactive white boards.
There are several methods used to install and run these screens, two of the main ones are projection and LED screen with a touch foil overlay.
Projection:A projector is installed into the ceiling that projects an image onto a surface, a camera above the projector then detects the movement and location of the person using the projected image and allows interaction between the user and the surface that the image is being projected on to. In this photo you can see the projector is displaying a computer screen onto the surface and the person is able to type the letters on the projected keyboard so they appear on the screen.
LED Screen: :An LED screen like a television or computer screen can be converted into an interactive screen using interactive touch overlay foil. This is the same foil used to make walls and floors interactive. It is a simple procedure, the overlay is stuck to the front of the window and this allows interaction with the media on the other side of the glass. The computer detects the point at which the overlay is pressed and transfers this to the program that is running on the screen, which then produces the required reaction.
For the purpose of our project we will have to use the touch foil overlay because our screen is going to be mounted on the floor and it is outside so a projector won't be practical as there is nowhere to attatch it too.
Present Use
Interactive screens are used all over the place now a days. From advertising to education they are becoming a more popular way of communicating information.
Interactive screens have revolusionised the advertising industry. They give customers the possibility of finding out more indepth information about the products, sometimes without even entering the shop! It also adds quite a fun aspect to shopping, being able to flick through the products on the outside of the window and some shops even have games that you can play. Some stores even have interactive screens on the floor which react when a customer walks over it.
Advantages
There are multiple methods that can be used to make an interactive screen which means that can be set up in most locations, as either of the methods can be used.
They are very durable and can withstand a prolonged amount of use.
Screens that use the foil overlay can work in most weather conditions as the technology is contained on the other side of the glass that is not open to the elements.
Disadvantages
The screens are very expensive to buy and install because of the technology they use.
Depending on the type of screen used, durability can be an issue because of the sensitivity of the technology.
Some screens only allow a single user to touch them at any one time.
RFID stands for Radio-frequency identification and these tags use electromagnetic waves to transmit data to a terminal from the point which they are attached to.
Most consist of two parts, an integrated circuit that that stores and processes the information and an antenna that receives and transmits the signal.
There are 3 different types of RFID tags,
Passive RFID tags which have no power source, and require an electromagnetic field to create a signal.
Active RFID tags which contain a battery and are active once an external source has been identified.
Battery Assisted Passive RFID tags which require a battery to power them up but can work at a higher range.
RFID tags vary in size, the original tag was about 5cmx5cm but as technology has progressed they have become smaller and smaller, some have even been developed that can barely been seen by the naked eye.
History
The first RFID tag was designed in 1973 by Mario Cardullo for use as a electronic toll collector. The original design was presented in 1969 for use in transportation, medical, security and banking. Today you can see how RFID tags have been incorporating into these fields such as GPS tracking, electronic credit cards and personal identification.
Present Use
RFID tags used to be and still are used in transportation, such as GPS tracking, electronic license plate registration and electronic toll collection. Today their uses are getting more and more advanced. Mobile phone technology is incorporating the tags into handsets to allow the users to link to their bank accounts from their phone. A couple of companies have introduced a reward/ loyalty card system to allow their customers to receive coupons for money off. The tags are attached to the phone and they receive the information via a download which then can read by a specialised device in store.
One of the main uses of the RFID tags is for tracking packages and this was only introduced a couple of years ago. Originally the entire container was tracked using GPS and even then it was mystery where your package was in the days between sending it and receiving it. GPS was too expensive to put into each individual package so RFID tags were used. They can carry a larger amount of information and do not need to visually scanned in order to be registered.
In 2003 the London Underground introduced the Oyster Card to allow uses of the underground prepay for use of the underground. The card is the size of a normal credit card and contact less technology is used to scan the card and register the ticket value the card contains. Passengers can use their home computers and mobile phones to top up the card before they use the underground, so they can go straight down to the platforms after swiping the cards. The Oyster Card contains a tiny RFID tag in the bottom right corner of the card that holds the information.
Another slightly weirder use for RFID tags is human implants. A night club owner who ran night clubs in Barcelona and Rotterdam offered RFID tags implants to those on the VIP list at the club to allow them quicker access to the club and as a quicker payment method at the bar.
Future Uses
In the future RFID tags are set to become more and more popular and commonplace in many areas. IBM, a leading business in the technology market, created this commercial to demonstrate the 'evolution of supermarkets' through the use of RFID tags.
This clever advertisement shows how RFID can make simple everyday tasks, such as shopping, quicker and easier for us to complete.
Advantages
They are very small so can be implanted and placed almost anywhere including into humans and animals. This makes them perfect for concealing into packages to help track them without adding the size or weight of the package.
They can hold a larger amount of information compared to similar technology like GPS tracking. Information can include lots of details of the item that RFID is attached to.
They are very secure and not very easily to replicate which increases the security of the product.
Disadvantages
RFID technology can be very expensive, they are costly to install which only makes the financially beneficial to large businesses.
Tags require certain conditions for them to be read. If they are placed in liquids or metal they are impossible to read as the material blocks the electromagnetic field.
One idea that we decided to expand on was the use of RFID tags. Our idea was to put these RFID tags into balloons that we give away at the children's play area. We would make them shaped like the animals in the area to keep with theme, e.g. elephant, zebra etc. The RFID would be contained within the balloon.
This is an example of the balloons we could use and the RFID tages would be contained inside them. ------------------>
The RFID tags are able to track the movement of the item they are attached to. Once a person takes the balloon we will be able to see where they move to within a certain area, e.g. within the shopping centre and the surrounding shops. These tracks will then appear on a screen moving as the RFID tag moves. We could then put a screen in our chosen area that shows the movement of these tags, therefore creating a visual image that moves with different colours. An idea we had was to place this screen on the floor, in the middle of the shopping centre so that it can be walked over and people can look down and see the patterns moving.
Our installation has to be interactive so an idea we had was to make the installation contain pressure sensors so that when it was walked over the screen would move and react to the pressure.
Here is a copy of the image we are trying to create, with the backdrop of google maps so the concept is clear, and the one without so you can see what the final screen would look like. This is just a quick representation of what the final screen would look like, hopefully if it was created it would be moving and there would be more tags.
There may be some security issues regarding the RFID tags tracking people as they walk around the shopping centre. This is the reason we made sure that the installation does not show the actual layout of the shopping centre. Once there are enough people walking around with the balloons there will be a lot of trackers on the screen.
To make our screen more interactive we had the idea of using pressure sensors and a multi touch screen so that when someone walks over the screen it reacts to the person. We had the idea of making all the line segments scatter away from the pressure point and then slowly returning back to the original shape.
'Meeting the requirements'
The location is within the children's play area and the installation adds to the area as it incorporates the jungle animals with the theme of the balloons.
If the screen is installed into the floor it will be covered with a waterproof sheet which will protect it from the elements.
It will be covered with heavy duty plastic to allow for persistent use and people walking over it.
The floor is the largest area of the location so allows for a bigger screen and therefore more interaction, and because it is in the floor it does not get in the way of any of the pedestrians walking by as they can simply walk over it.
It's unique and individual compared to the other interactive installations within Plymouth.
The cables can be drilled into the floor so that they can be connected to electricity sources from the nearby shops.
The screen will be large and lit up so the installation will work in the dark.
The screen is embedded in the ground so no parts of it can be stolen and the only interactive device needed is the RFID which are really cheap to buy and are biodegradable so will disappear when the balloon pops.
I found some images on google of a similar idea that we are trying to create. London can be seen from a satellite at night and it gives a similar effect to what we want to create. These photos will hopefully show the kind of thing we want to achieve.
This photo shows the Isle Of Wight using GPS trackers to show how people have moved around the island.
I found a video on YouTube that shows the type of screen we want to create and the program we want to show on it. There's an example in the video of someone walking over the screen with flowers on it. The flowers move out of the way as the guy walks over them, this is the idea we are thinking of when someone walks over our screen, the RFID tag tracks are supposed to disperse when someone walks over them. Here is the video which will help to demonstrate our ideas.
Must contain some form of media that allows users to interact with it with an appropriate device.
Must allow participants to engage with the space and support the activities that already take place within space.
Installation must have aesthetic, conceptual and sensory qualities as well as functional.
Technology must be able to work under any weather condition.
Technology must be able to withstand a large and prolonged amount of use.
There are space limitations with the chosen area so installation size must be relative to the size of the area.
Installation must not be in the way of pedestrians.
Installation must produce sound but must not be too noisy that it distracts other passersby.
Installation must be a completely new design and not resemble any of the other technologies currently installed in the shopping centre.
Installation must use as little cables as possible to ensure the optimum area can be chosen and there are not too many wires around that could become broken or damaged.
Must use light effects to ensure it can be used at night.
Must be secure so pieces cannot be stolen.
Our requirements aim to help us achieve the main goals of our installation. Our main goals are:
Ensure the interaction adds to the aesthetics of the area.
Make the space more interactive.
Increase the number of people who visit the space.
Make the space fun and enjoyable for those who are within it.
We went down to the children's jungle area when the space was relatively quiet to record some environmental observations. We can use these to help us plan the type of installation we want to put into our space and take into account the environment around it such as the type of shops that surround it, the space dimensions, the objects currently within the space etc.
Floor Plan : To begin with I made up a floor plan of the area so that we can clearly see what is within the space and the areas that we could use as the location for our installation.
The space is located in the centre of a long street in the centre of town. The street begins at the main shopping centre, Drake Circus, and continues all the way down to the bottom where it ends at a road. The walkway has a dissection running through it which is located along from our chosen space and this is where the sun dial is located.
Location : The space is located in the centre of this walk way with shops opposite on two sides and the walk way running through the middle. Around the edges of the area there are four brick flowerbeds that contain a number of different plants. These flowerbeds incorporate some seating at the sides presumable for pedestrians to sit down for their lunch or parents to use when they are watching their children on the play animals. There are also two poles located at either side of the area which contain advertisements for the shopping centre at the top and street lights.
Content/Social Interaction : The main attraction of the space are the children's play animals that are located at the sides. There seems to be a theme of jungle animals that could be incorporated into our idea for the interactive installation. The main attraction of the space seems to be the animals although whilst doing our observations we noticed that nearly everyone who entered the space did not purposely go there for the children's animals, most were passing through and did not stop. However the only people who did stop were those with children who wanted to play on the animals. We could aim our installation at this target audience as these are the people who are most likely to stop and use it and they may be more inclined to use it if they are waiting for their children playing on the animals. We found that those people who were not walking through the space were generally clustered around the animals at the two sides. This gave a clear gap down the middle so this is a possible location for our installation as it is the least busy area of the space therefore people will be able to group there whilst using our installation.
Dimensions : Because of the location of the space there is a limit on the size of the installation that we could install. The area is quite small and compact and very busy during the day time especially with parents and children. Our installation would have to be small and we would need to ensure that it did not get in the way of people walking and interacting with the area and our installation.
Utilities : There may also be a problem with the utilities we have available to us such as a power supply. We may be able to tackle this problem by basing our location as near as possible to the shop fronts and feed a cable from the shops to our installation but we would need permission. There is also the possibility of using the shop fronts as a location for our installation such as touch screens on the windows but again we would need the permission of the companies.
Limitations/Constraints Imposed By The Environment : As the location is outside we would have to deal with different weather conditions. There is some shelter from the shops around from the wind and rain but the main area is still in the open so our installation would definitely feel the effects of the weather. This may also cause problems with light sources, although there is lighting set up in the walk way it would not be too bright so we may have to provide extra lighting to ensure that our installation could be used day and night. Security may also be an issue. This area is a very popular area day and night because of the shops and attractions like clubs that surround it so there will be people walking through it all the time. There is security in the main street but we would have to ensure that our installation was secure and could not be stolen.
Noise may also be an issue so we would need to address this whilst we were planning our installation. The space gets a lot of activity so there is always the buzz of people walking and talking and we noticed that often people are using mobile phones and Ipods, introducing a new noise into the space may disrupt people who simply want to pass through so a noiseless installation would probably be a better idea. If we did incorporate sound into our ideas we would have to ensure that the sound could be heard to those people immediately around the installation but would not disrupt those walking through.
The area is very dull and gray. There does not seem to be much going on in this space other than the children playing on the animals and it was not really a pleasant experience standing around observing for a long period of time especially when the weather was gray and cold. Adding a fun new installation into this space may encourage people to move out into this main street and make the street brighter and more attractive to shoppers. This could have a benefit on not only the shops but also the environment.
Movement of Individuals : We also noticed the flow of the pedestrians and people walking through the space. There was a larger number of people walking down the two sides of the space rather than through the middle. This area seemed constantly busy so putting our installation here may not be a good idea because it could get in the way. The central walkway was not that busy so putting out installation in this area would be better as people would be able to access it easily rather than stopping in the middle of the street.
I went to the space for the day and documented the number of people that went in and out of the area so get a rough idea of the flow of individuals within the entire space. I thought representing this data in a bar chart would be the easiest way to see how many people were in our space at a given time. I went to the space 5 times over the period of 8 hours, between 9 and 5, as I thought these would be the most popular hours of the day. I did this research on a Thursday, but I can estimate the the number of people in the space on a Friday or Saturday would be marginally higher. From this I can tell that the durability of our installation would have to be very high as there was a large number of people walking through the area at most times of the day as would be expected in the centre of town.
