Bits and pieces of February 2012

Makeblock, link

An aluminum version of “Lego” for building robots and mechanical structures. No price yet. Looks interesting, especisally with the inside threaded slot design and adjustable components. Check out more details at http://makeblock.cc/features-of-makeblock

Haptic Design, Keynote Presentation. David Birnbaum, Immersion, link

Immersion HD Haptics, Immersion, link

Retrofitted Nexus S with piezo actuators, and demos: maracas and rolling ball, classics!

Audrey Braille Display, by David Pankhurst, link

Open Hardware Braille display, using an Arduino and laser-cut acrylic. Nice work.

Daily Haptics, from Marie Rouillon, material designer, link

Copy/paste from her site “As a textile designer, I am particularly interested in what we call the sense(s) of « touch ». – Which probably includes hundreds of different senses : our fingertips for instance can feel warmth, cold, pleasure, pain, pressure, and an infinite array of textures. – How sad is that we are losing our awareness of this plurality ? Moreover, the sense of touch is critical for human functioning at many different levels, from controlling the body to perceiving the environment. As our senses act just like muscles, if we don’t exercise them they lose strenght ! We might end up losing them if we lose our awareness of their importance.

`Daily haptics´ has emerged as a response to this insight, through my design, I am creating tactile experiences in order to reconnect people with tactility, and make them aware of this ability they fail to acknowledge those days.”

Haptics, Mobile Handhelds, and other “Novel” Devices, The Tactile Unconscious of Reading across Old and New Media, by Rachel Lee, link

The “Electronic Touch”, tv report on haptics at Immersion

More on the Haptics youtube playlist from FUTRS.com

The Cryoscope Haptic Weathervane, by Robb Godshaw, link

A haptic weather forecasting device. The Cryoscope shows the user exactly what to expect outside by haptically exhibiting exactly how cold or warm it is to be outside. The user simply touches an aluminum cube that has been heated or cooled to the appropriate temperature. The unit fetches weather data from the internet, and translates it to the cube physically, pumping heat in or out of the cube.

Aesthetics of Touch, blog, from Vicky Teinaki, link

“Finding designers’ language of haptic qualities”. Great posts related to hatpics, touch, making and more. Vicky is a PhD student from Northumbria University in the UK. Her personal site: http://vickyteinaki.com