source: projectlumonl

Interactive Environments is a Minor program of the TU Delft. This year the case is to design an interactive installation for the National Kinderoncologisch Centrum, an oncological children hospital near the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands, to help and stimulate the children on physical/social level and their wellbeing.

We focus on children at the age of 12-14 years old. We are designing a hang-out place where these children can get together, meet other children and hang-out with their friends from back home. Our goal is to get the children together and stimulate their social skills. During this period of their life social development is a key part of their education and we think it is important that every child should have the chance to develop on a social level, regardless of the fact that they are staying in the hospital.

The concept consists of a giant helix-shaped environment where children can hang out. It is possible to sit, relax and play with the environment. The inside of the helix contains a long digital LED light strip and through microphones audio around the installation is transfered into light bullets that fly through the light strip.

Geometry
A studie was done to look into the possibilities of the geometry. The helix shape was chosen because we were looking for a dynamic ongoing shape that created a closed environment but would be open at the same time. It was very important that the children could have their own spot within the hospital but provoking curiosity from the outside of what is happening inside at the same time.

Interaction
The installation is currently sleeping. In its sleep the installation is only gently breathing. Parts of the installation randomly light up. This should make the bystanders not only curious but also aware of that the installation is alive but currently sleeping.

The installation is currently waking up. The modules that were breathing are now detecting sound that the user makes when approaching the installation. This sound makes these specific modules waking up and show this in a higher brightness. Though when these modules don’t receive more sound input they will quickly fall asleep again.

The installation is now awake. The modules shows this by being on full brightness. When the modules receives sound input a light bullet will be shot out to both direction of the spiral by the module.

The installation offers an topic to talk for the teenagers, this will function as an ice breaker for the teenagers. A light connection show up between the 2 modules that are being touched. The panels and thus the users are now being connected. The users can hold a part of the light bullets within the installation to track their own sounds.

The installation offers a place to hang out for the teenagers. The connections between the users and the light bullets are still there but they now function more like a ambient light than to track their converstation.

Modular
The design of the installation is modular. This means it consists of individual intelligent modules that work together to create the desired interaction. No decentralized control system is used but every module is the same and works together with his neighbors. The advantage of this is that the composition of the installation can be altered without rewriting the internal programming of the installation.

Modules
The individual modules of the installation are made of triplex, using a bending technique. Each of these modules contains its own Arduino Circuit Board, microphone and digital LED lighting.