Tactile
Tech
& visionary designs
By Iris Jรถnsthรถvel 2019
Iris Jรถnsthรถvel, personal work. All rights reserved. www.irisjonsthovel.com irisjonsthovel@gmail.com
About Iris Iris Jönsthövel is a creative in the realm of tangible media and material design who is dedicated to creating new ways of communication & interaction that go way beyond the world of flat screens. Her method is rooted in experiment, curiosity and imagination which leads to designs with eclectic aesthetics - always with a dash of tactility. Inspired by futuristic developments and her favourite comic book inventions, the ideas in this portfolio embody what is living inside Iris’ head.
Vision & Content
Capturing the true essence of what it means to be alive in the interactive designs of tomorrow to ignite an ethereal connection between humans and technology resulting in tangible experiences
Mind & Body
Expressive Material Design 1.
4. Old & New T e c h
Visionary Chromatophores A tactile vision interface
3.
Tactile Smartness Design of a computational composite
2.
Hydroponic Kunst The art of ancient techniques
The Wobbly Lobster A low-tech invention
5.
Tangible Digital Twin A research project
Visionary Chromatophores a tactile vision interface
picture of mijn geprinte materiaal
Visionary Chromatophores a tactile vision interface
Amazed by the development in technology of artificial skins and research on the cephalopods’s chromatophores mechanism I set out to start a project on a tactile vision interface. The idea that we see with the brain instead of our eyes inspired me to combine several technologies and come up with a future concept that illustrates an aesthetically interesting brain-machine interface. Squid skin is mesmerizing to look at. Their otherworldly ability to change appearance in milliseconds by adjusting the colour pattern on their skin is something researchers want to learn from and eventually replicate. It got me thinking about how some tribes use scarification to beautify their skin. A gruesome way of beautifying, but the concept of decorating your face is very common. What if we could apply artificial skin to our faces to use as a tactile vision interface when our eyes cannot take on that role? Could we artificially replicate the skin of a squid with integrated pigment proteins that change colour and are responsive to light? A skin that will enable us to sense our surroundings?
inspiration
Prof. Paul Bach-y-Rita
Squid skin
Scarification
As the BrainPort’s inventor, & neuroscientist puts it, “You don’t see with the eyes. You see with the brain.” - The BrainPort, a sensory-substitution device uses the sense of touch as a substitute for sight.
Chromatophores on a squid skin are like tiny water balloons that are filled with coloured pigment. When they expand you see more pigment, so more colour. When they contract the colours shrink to a tiny dot.
Has been widely used by many West African tribes to mark milestone stages in both men and women's lives, such as puberty and marriage. It is also used to transmit complex messages about identity; a showing of a person's autobiography on the surface of the body to the world.
Cephalopods’ skin
Tactile vision
A team of scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara relate that octopus skin can sense and respond to light even without recei- ving signals from the eyes or brain, using much the same biological tools as utilized by their eyes (and our eyes). In short, octopus skin can "see" light, no eyes required.
Neuroscientist Paul Bach-y-Rita was among the first to prove neuroplasticity by creating sensory substitution devices for sensory impaired patients. The fact that our brain has the ability to adapt to whatever signals we route into it, makes it the perfect machine-body interface.
As it turns out, the skin of the California two-spot octopus contains the same type of light-sensitive proteins that are found in its eyes. These proteins can respond to light in the octopus's environment and can direct the chromatophores to expand and contract to match—all from within the skin, and without interaction with the animal's central nervous system.
Our tongues are the most sensitive parts of our body and therefore the ideal brain-machine interface. Bach-y-Rita developed a thin plastic strip covered with electrodes that can be placed underneath the tongue and used to communicate with any external sensory device.
Vision Complementing the innovative technology with an aesthecically intriguing appearance could make artificial skins expressive make-up that communicate with the surrounding environment. Artificial skins could emphasize a person’s identity and create a new form of language. Instead of carrying around devices to assist us with any inconveniences we might experience, a smart skin could eventually take over many functions and seamlessly be coupled with the person who is wearing it.
A visionary look
Expanding and contracting pigment
How it works (potentially) In the upper layer the sensing mechanism of chromatophore nerves are replicated and are reponsive to detecting light. Theoretically, these protein pigments send this visual data to the nervous system by converting visual stimuli into electrical bursts. By using electrodes for tactile stimulation electronic signals are then sent to the brain. Area’s on the skin of the face act as brain-machine interface since the artificial skin is attached to the face.
Capturing visual stimuli: artificial chromatophore nerve vision sensory layer
Converter of visual stimuli into electrical bursts: programmable electronic control layer Electrode array for stimulation: flexible-printed -circuit layer
Chromatophores
BrainPort
“Chromatophores are organs that are present in the skin of squids which contain pigment sacs that become more visible as small radial muscles pull the sac open making the pigment expand under the skin.
“To produce tactile vision, BrainPort uses a camera to capture visual data. The optical information light that would normally hit the retina - that the camera picks up is in digital form, and it uses radio signals to send the ones and zeroes to the CPU for encoding. Each set of pixels in the camera's light sensor corresponds to an electrode in the array. The CPU runs a program that turns the camera's electrical information into a spatially encoded signal. The encoded signal represents differences in pixel data as differences in pulse characteristics such as frequency, amplitude and duration. Multidimensional image information takes the form of variances in pulse current or voltage, pulse duration, intervals between pulses and the number of pulses in a burst, among other parameters.
ongoing research
Iridophores are stacks of very thin cells that are capable of reflecting light back at different wavelengths and possibly different polarities. Interestingly, the color an iridophore reflects is dependent on the angle from which they are observed. The different control mechanisms for chromatophores, iridophores, leucophores and papillae require cephalopods to integrate different types of visual information into a cohesive, matching pattern. How their brains process visual information from their eyes and possibly also their skin, then send out the correct commands to their camouflaging tissues, is something we do not yet understand.”
reference: Cephalopod Camouflage: Cells and Organs of the Skin By: Ryan Gilmore, B.S. (Western New England University, Springfield, MA), Robyn Crook, PhD (University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX) & Jacob L Krans, PhD (Western New England University, Springfield, MA) © 2016 Nature Education Citation: Gilmore, R., Crook, R. & Krans, J. L. (2016) Cephalopod Camouflage: Cells and Organs of the Skin. Nature Education 9(2):1
ongoing research on tactile vision technology
The electrode array receives the resulting signal via the stimulation circuitry and applies it to the tongue. The brain eventually learns to interpret and use the information coming from the tongue as if it were coming from the eyes.”
reference: Julia Layton "How BrainPort Works" 17 July 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <https://science.howstuffworks.com/brainport. htm> 7 November 2019
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Hydroponic Kunst the art of ancient techniques
Hydroponic Kunst the art of ancient techniques
Inspired by ancient & modern farming techniques and Haeckel’s zoological expeditions contributing to the history of evolutionary theory, I started this conceptual project called Hydroponic Kunst. Thinking about the future of our planet and the potential of new technologies and manufacturing techniques I can’t help but wonder about my role and responsibility as a designer. By combining the ancient art of hydroponics with the ‘kunstformen’ found in nature I designed a potential food-production system that can be used as a valuable source of food production in places where space is scarce. This system is regulated by a composite structure that works as an artifical muscle. In the near future innovative composite materials will be able to take over the functions machines would normally have. Ideally, this self-regulating food system can be stored in-house for future self-sufficient farming.
inspiration
Prof. Dr. Ernst Haeckel
Jelly fish
Aztecs
A German zoologist, philosopher and artist who not only discovered, described and named thousands of new species, but also recognized the beauty of nature in all its forms. In his book Kunstformen Der Natur of 1904 he captured this beauty in one hundred highly esthetical illustrations.
A creature that changes the water pressure around him and swims by ‘sucking in’ water. As the jellyfish flexes and contracts its muscles, a donut of spinning water — called a vortex — rolls downwards then up under the bell edge.
To feed their enormous population, the Aztecs ingeniously built chinampas, or floating gardens, to convert the marshy wetlands of Lake Texcoco into arable farmland. These floating gardens were a masterpiece of engineering.
Hydroponics
Jellyfish locomotion
In conventional agriculture, soil supports a plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; helping it to remain upright â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and provides it with the nutrients it needs to grow. In hydroponics, plants are artificially supported, and a solution of ionic compounds provides nutrients instead.
Jellyfish locomotion is highly efficient. Muscles in the jellylike bell contract, setting up a start vortex and propelling the animal. When the contraction ends, the bell recoils elastically, creating a stop vortex with no extra energy input. The mechanism is called passive energy recapture.
01 muscles contract
02 elastic refoil
remains of start vortex
Vision I see great potential in combining old and new technologies into the materials and products of the future. Protecting the planet and its inhabitants is a major focus for me when designing for tomorrow. Self-sensing products will have a great impact on how we live our day-to-day and will offer solutions for the home that can assist us in self-sufficient ways of living. A hydroponic farming system is an example of this vision.
A jellyfish-like material
How it works (potentially) The smart soft biomimetic material pumps water round by expanding and shrinking an artificial muscle. The grow bed acts as a filter through which bacteria convert ammonia from the fish waste into nitrates for the plants. Once the plants have absorbed the nitrates as nutrients they filter back oxygen-rich water for the fish.
neutral
Fish produce ammonia rich waste and breath out carbon dioxide.
expansion
Through expansion the fish waste and carbon dioxide-rich water is sucked in.
shrinkage
Through shrinkage the waste travels up and is absorbed by the plant. Oxygen-rich water is released.
Artificial muscle ongoing research
â&#x20AC;&#x153;A novel biomimetic jellyfish robot based on a soft and smart modular structure (SMS) This paper introduces the design, fabrication and experiment of a biomimetic jellyfish robot based on a soft and smart modular structure (SMS) to mimic the behavior of the alternating shrinkage and expansion of the real jellyfish. The SMS consisted of two layers including an actuating layer and a recovery layer.â&#x20AC;? 1.
Figure 1. The composite structure of the SMS.
Figure 2. The prototype of the jellyfish robot. (a) SMS. (b) Central disc. (c) Bell. (d) Final prototype of the jellyfish robot. 2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Reference: Zhou, Y., Jin, H., Liu, C., Dong, E., Xu, M., & Yang, J. (2016, December). A novel biomimetic jellyfish robot based on a soft and smart modular structure (SMS). In 2016 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO) (pp. 708-713). IEEE.
Tactile Smartness design of a computational composite
Tactile Smartness
design of a computational composite Inspired by my time working as a technical outdoor apparel designer in the U.S. I decided that my MSc Thesis work should revolve around material design. At the Delft University of Technology I have been working on a MSc graduation project involving the development of a novel ‘light-touch’ smart material named Light Touch Matters (LTM). In this project product designers and material researchers were jointly developing a fully new generation of computational composites that combine touch sensitivity with luminosity. The benefits of these Light Touch Matters materials still needed to be further explored and mapped out in such a way that designers can fully understand how to design new applications with this new programmable material. My task was to explore the possibilities of the LTM smart material as a new design material to find the smart materials’ functionality, the interaction with the material and the experiences that will arise. Additionally, an approach for designers was to be developed since designing with computational composites is a new area of expertise. This project was in partnership with
MSc Thesis ‘An Exploration of a novel light-touch smart material to design for materials experience
Light-Touch Smart Material The basis for the Light Touch Matters smart materials is provided by two breakthrough technologies: touch sensitive piezo-plastics and flexible Organic light emitting diodes (Oleds) each integrated into a layer of the composition material. Important fact: The material is not available in a tangible form.
Surface layer with texture
Flexible OLED Flexible Piezo plastic Control layer
Deformation
Light responses
Divided into three categories of deformation. 1. Deform
2. pressure
3. movement
Divided into two categories of light responses. 1. fast - slow
2. High - low
Squeezing
Pressing
Swiping
flickering
pulsating
Bending
Touching
Stroking
flashing
dimming
Tapping
Slamming
Simulation of qualities
Squeezing
The challenge is to simulate the smart material in a way to be able to understand the design potentialities. The first step of exploring for me is using a plastic sheet with the same thickness and bending radius as the LTM. What are the interaction possibilities?
bending
pressing Thickness 0.5 mm Bending radius 20 mm
touching
Surface lighting examples: different shapes & patterns
tapping
swiping
Material deformation examples: tapping, pressing, bending
stroking
slamming
Stroking samples Second step of simulating the LTM and its tactile interaction potential is making samples with another test material, silicone. I choose to test stroking as a way of interaction because this way it becomes clear what a tactile surface layer for the LTM needs to look like.
Showcase, a garment I have made the choice to showcase two interactions with the LTM material. Integrating the LTM material’s light & touch experience into something you would wear all the same, makes it more natural to interact with. Also, creating a design concept with the LTM shows other designers all crazy other design opportunities.
Piezo
squeezing
Oled
pulsating
Shoulder piece
Piezo
stroking
Oled
dimming
Sleeve
The interaction “The interaction with the material’s tactile and visual possibilities should be dynamic and mystifying. It should feel like expressing oneself when on the move, but at the same time ensuring personal safety.”
Concept design The garment design results in a cape for women on the move. The cape is a cover for unclear weather conditions and is at the same time a responsive garment for expressive communication. 1. By squeezing the shoulder piece it will start illuminating a pulsating light all over the surface area of the shoulder. 2. By stroking the tactile surface layer with increasing exerted pressure input, the sleeve will start increasing the light intensity. 3. The wind will be the input of illuminating the strokes on your back when on the move.
1.
2.
3.
shoulder squeeze
stroking sleeve
back wind
Surface layer defined in shapes to cut
Making of the sleeve
Flexible OLED Flexible Piezo plastic Control layer
drawing
foam mold
silicone cast
The moonrace cape A super woman cape A cape jacket for women who are moving and shaking everything they encouter. It brings extra safety in darkness and style and comfort during movement.
Squeezing
Kryptonite: LTM squeezable shape
pulsating
Kryptonite: LTM tactile surface layer
Stroking
dimming
Making of the parts
The material is the interface
https://vimeo.com/130105764
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The Wobbly Lobster a low-tech invention
The Wobbly Lobster a low tech invention
Inspired by childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural tendency to physical activity, expressiveness, playfulness and their vivid imagination combined with my admiration for authors who have the inventivess of sparking these qualities in children, I set out to create something myself. However, because there are so many ready-made images from such sources as TV, computers, video games, etc., it is more important than ever to encourage and provide opportunities for children to use their imaginations. Low tech playful inventions can have the power to transport children into worlds both weird and wonderful that they create with their own imaginative minds. On top of that, when children are active they use their bodies and minds in play by interacting with the environment, materials and other people. Therefore I designed a rocking animal friend that encourages children to move their body and mind and create their own experiences. This project was in collaboration with
inspiration
Roald Dahl
Barabasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Vitamitje
A childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich imagination
Roald Dahl was a master of imagination. Magic was very important to him. While adults usually avoided the subject, he knew that children had a profound sense of the supernatural. In his books an array of amazing animals and curious creatures appear that become great friends to the children.
Barabas has invented many machines and vehicles appearing in the Suske & Wiske comic books. One of these inventions was Vitamitje. A small anthropomorphic car, fueled by plants, suitable for Suske and Wiske to drive with. It was introduced in "De Sprietatoom" ("The Tiny Atom") (1946).
Imagination is the door to possibilities. It is where creativity, ingenuity, and thinking outside the box begin for child development. Imaginative and creative play is how children learn about the world. The natural world inspires children to think, question, make suppositions, and develop creative minds.
Vision I want to empower kids to be as playful, active and imaginative as they can be. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want them to calm down or sit still but feed their insatiable curiosity and cultivate their endless energy. When you're a child, you are curious about your environment. You want to explore and create stuff and make up stories. I want these qualities to be embraced and cultivated so that they relish a life of exploration, discovery, and skepticism about the state of things to grow up into curious and inspiring individuals. I hope the wobbly lobster and his friends encourage this expressive behaviour.
Made of wood
wood working
sewing
painting
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Tangible Digital Twin a research project
Tangible Digital Twin
awaiting funding*
a research project
“Imagine there is a wonderful tactile world out there that expands way beyond the world of flat screens” How we interact with technology today is mainly through poking a sheet of glass. Touchscreens have revolutionised much around the way we now interact with and utilise technology, but one area where this has regressed our abilities is around touch. Moving away from flat, static and passive interactions with screens and motivated by the belief that technology must embrace the dexterity and expressiveness of the human body, a shift should be embraced where dynamic and expressive interactions are the way in which we will communicate with technology. Because let’s face it, nothing in the world is square. Digital Twin The effect of our screen-interactions on a day-to-day are taking its toll on our wellbeing - both mental & physical. Our personal devices supply us with an enormous amount of information and display data collected by sensors through any type of app we have installed. Basically, these personal devices are in a way a computer-based version of us: A digital twin. The result of all this screen time and the constant stream of information coming our way is a human-computer interaction that can wear us out and leave us feeling overwhelmed, distracted and stressed-out. People are in need of self-care and are seeking ways to eliminate their screen time to be able to turn off their brain and get their body moving. The paradox in this is that people turn to self-care apps that need to relieve them from their stress and direct them towards a more healthy way of living. These apps confirm how well they are doing by keeping track of all sorts of personal data. One conclusion from this is that the digital twin of today does not match very well with our natural way of interacting with things. It does not free us from the passive experiences we now have with screens and does not fit nor matches what human expression is about. The amount of information coming our way by all the data we can collect with smart sensors does not leave us content but instead leaves us drained. The Tangible Digital Twin This makes me wonder about expressive physical alternatives that provide us with information that actually empowers us and assist us in containing our well-being and leaves us with rich interactions and experiences. Tactility plays an important role in this. * This project is part of the project proposal for the Digital Culture funding programme of Creative Industries NL (Stimuleringsfonds). Funding will be announced December 2019.
Today: Digital Twin The effect of screen interaction and information overload on the body and mind How it makes people feel - overwhelmed - distracted - stressed-out - numbed-out - paralysed - bored-out - burnt-out Need for self-care With a hard time focussing and a strong need for healthy habits people crave self-care time.
Screen dependency - screen addiction - validation - self reflection - being entertained - digital memory - always connected - fear of missing out
Disconnection between body and mind Screen time leads to an over-stimulation of the brain that tires people out. The body gets into a passive state and the brain gets even more drained as a result.
Keeping up with your online presence & identity Running an online version of yourself leads to living two lives: one online and one offline. The online version presents a newly created identity.
Paradox Self-care apps to save you
app type > goal > human role >
physical \/ meeting health goals \/ personal trainer
emotional \/ boost confidence & body image \/ coach
cognitive \/ learning new things every day \/ teacher
social \/ engaging with others & get inspired \/ connector
spiritual \/ train how to be in the moment & relax \/ shaman
Future: Tactile Digital Twin What should a digital twin of yourself look like / entail to be able to evoke a ‘human like’ connection ? Embody richness of human dexterity - nurturing - self reflection - connection - multi sensory interactions - emotional feedback - creativity - movement - expressive
Human like connection A connection that feels ‘real’ like the connections we have with other living beings: - humans - pets - nature Communication through sensory modalities
A natural connection of body and mind
Development of physical alternatives digital twin Inspiration
Function
What
Past examples - Voodoo dolls - Tamagotchi - Furby - Magic mirror Disney
Human role? - personal trainer - teacher - coach - connector - shaman
Information exchange? Information that has an empowering impact on people’s wellbeing.
How
Material interactions Materials possess vibrant qualities that can change and adapt over time and affect the way humans think, feel and act.
Next steps I want to explore the potential of expressive interfaces, objects and spaces that can take on forms and communicate with us through vibrant qualities. Creating new ways of communication that contribute to human creativity, imagination, and gratification will be the main objective in the creation of tangible digital twin prototypes. Finally to arrive at empowering people, unlocking their potential and improving their quality of life through a fusion of technology and the human spirit into a new kind of creation, a new way of living, that transcends both.
Narratives
Cabinet of curiosities
Prototyping
An explorative study on the selfcare needs of individuals. With the creation of narratives the type of information people care for and the roles technology should take on will be described.
The creation of a so called cabinet of curiosities results in a collection of conceptual artefacts and samples that embody the relationships between the physical and the digital through sensory modalities.
The design of expressive objects and/or spaces that enable multi-sensory ways of communication between individuals and their digital counterparts, through human-material interactions.
Thank you Credits // All prototypes and styling by Iris Jรถnsthรถvel Tactile Smartness photography by Jan Koenders model: Pauline Wout All other photos taken by Kjeld van den Ende