Matt Cottam

Wooden logic: In search of heirloom electronics

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:45:49 +0000

Computational Wood

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:41:24 +0000

Dr. Herb Smokler teaches us how to husband and harvest Computational Wood. This mockumentary is the final installment of Matt Cottam’s Masters Thesis. The concept of Computational Wood evolved out of a workshop with Timo Arnall, Matt Jones, Jack Schulze, Adam Greenfield, and Lennart Andersson.

Computational Wood tools

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:13:35 +0000

Computational Wood tapping

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:00:02 +0000

Computational Wood harvesting

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:52:07 +0000

Iron and Vinegar Pairs

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:38:30 +0000

Distressed Pair

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:25:00 +0000

Craig Pair

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:21:14 +0000

Perfect Pairs

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:17:33 +0000

Bruno Pair

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:12:15 +0000

Matt and Maia Pair

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:09:27 +0000

Pairs open

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:01:36 +0000

Patina Pairs

Matt — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:51:46 +0000

The Pairs swatches consist of 6 Ash dovetail joints with embedded electronics. Each of the six sets of Pin and Tail is identical (except in grain) in form and function–they differ only in the surface patina. Each Pair is treated in a unique way that gives it age and experience: one was put in the ocean for a month; one was divided between my wife and I–she wrote all over hers when she was missing me and I stained mine with tea and wine when I was away from her; one was chewed by our dog Bruno; one was distressed in a sandblaster; one was stained with iron and vinegar; and one was left perfect. The electronics allow the Pin and Tail of each dovetail to communicate wirelessly and by rechargable battery power. The halves chirp in patterns of call and response to each other when they are apart, they vibrate and chirp faster when they are near one another, and they are silent when connected.

Putting In

Matt — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:30:53 +0000

Here I am putting a Pair (Ash dovetail joint with carcasses for electronics) into the ocean. I wrapped it in steel wire and bound it to a staircase at a dock in Newport, RI. Hoping for a naturally weathered patina.

Maia Garau shot the video and drove me home soaking wet.

Findings and Briefs

Matt — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:05:14 +0000

In March of 2009 Timo Arnall, Lennart Andersson, Matt Cottam, Adam Greenfield, Matt Jones, Jack Schulze and Mikael Wiberg spent a day lecturing at “Spring Summit 09:Sensing and Sensuality” and another day ideating around Cottam’s Masters Thesis. At the end of the ideation workshop, Jack and Matt J. present the findings and ideas from the conversation and sketching. Timo shot the video and chimes in from behind the camera and Cottam makes an appearance at the end.

Burning Blocks

Matt — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:22:00 +0000

This video was shot in January of 2009 during an intensive working session at Umeå Institute of Design. The short clip shows the process of preparing Birch veneer for laser cutting test-strips and the burning of wooden letter blocks for an Augmented Reality (AR) spelling game. The video was shot by Matt Cottam and was edited by James Hsu.

Computational Wood Tree Tap

Matt — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:36:50 +0000

During our ideation day Lennart Andersson threw out a concept: What if you could grow wood that could be a conductor? What if you watered a tree with conductive ink one year, waited a year or two, then watered again with conductive ink, then waited… could the tree rings be conductor, insulator, conductor?

So I set out to make a “tap” (kind of like a maple syrup tree tap) that one could insert into a predrilled hole in a tree. The sections of the tap would contact the conductive growth rings in the tree. Then electronics could take power, ground and signal from the three rings. You could also harvest the wood and potentially “tap” a wooden table top and mount a lamp or electronic hardware.

This is the “far out scifi” concept in the bunch and very little thought has gone into (or will likely go into) making a system like this actually work.

I am now scripting a short video where we will tap some wood in a forest nearby. I have built out a whole toolbag for the Computational Wood forestry worker.

Video coming soon.

thanks to Ryan Coyle (RISD student) who helped me out in the metal shop.

Woodwork

Matt — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:38:40 +0000

Timo Arnall shot and edited this video of me working in the UID shops. Thank you Timo.

Idea Day

Matt — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:26:17 +0000

On the 28th of March 2009, Matt Jones, Timo Arnall, Jack Schulze, Adam Greenfield, Lennart Andersson, Mikael Wiberg and I spent a day talking about my masters thesis project. Many inspirational ideas were shared until late in the evening. Excellent fun in the shops, at the whiteboard and of course at the laser cutter.

These photos are all from Timo Arnall’s Flickr stream.

Jack Schulze, Adam Greenfield and I

I brief the team on the topic of the day

Jones wears Schulze

I present an array of objects that represent various qualities

Timo’s first burn

Adam is seduced by Lillypad

Polaroid Swinger as good plastic

Wood

Considering shop attack

Birch in the milling machine

Adam’s first burn: NYC visualization on burl veneer

Adam and Mikael appreciate the partial through burn

We unpacked wood+electronic project by RISD students

Jones’ notebook

Jones’ first burn

Timo’s Flickr upload activity laser cut on birch

Sensing and Sensuality

Matt — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:10:52 +0000

As part of my research work towards a masters thesis at Umeå Institute of Design, I lead in the organization of a one day conference in Sweden. Speakers are listed on the poster below. I owe many thanks to the school and its staff and students for their support as well as to Tellart for partially sponsoring the event.

Poster was designed by Pierre-Alexander Poirier

Here also are a few images from Timo Arnall’s Flickr stream. Thank you Timo.

Conference motion graphics by Mikko

Jack Schulze

Schulze drawings

Schulze shows work done with Timo for the Touch Project

Adam Greenfield

Matt Jones shows off gifts made by students

Schulze’ bendy city maps

Greenfield and Rahul Sen (student MC)

Thanks to everyone who participated. Looking forward to next year’s event.

AR Blocks Starting to Work

Matt — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:59:06 +0000

Thanks Andrew for the AR grease and Google for the free model.

Spelling game coming soon.

Paper Doll’s Furniture for Paper Camp on Make and Craft Blogs

Matt — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:19:29 +0000

Full Make:Blog Post

Joinery as Logic

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:01:06 +0000

Starting to embed the sensing and computers

Light gate switch

Light gate with motise and tenon, Arduino Mini Pro, and Lilypad Vibe

Slider embedded in dovetail

Slider and dovetail assembly

Slider and milled wood

Slider and dovetail assembly with electronics

Slider and dovetail assembly with electronics detail

Final Assembly

Embedded Sensors in Wood Laminations: Flex

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:46:08 +0000

For flex sensing I ripped and milled birch to 1mm thickness and created laminations - both with clamps and a vacuum bag. The first attempt failed but the second works well.

Laser etched and cut inlay of sensor

Homemade plywood

Layers

Glue up

Broken first try

Try 2: birch and cork in a vacuum bag

In hand pump vacuum bag

Birch + Cork + Flex sensor

Working

Embedded Sensors in Wood Laminations: Touch Potentiometer

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:28:24 +0000

In this set I embed a linear touch potentiometer in cork and wood using a laser cutter and the woodshop.

Touch pot with fabric cord

Touch pot with cork cusion and laser cut wood block enclosure/lamination

Glued up and seamless - works with Arduino

Embedded Sensors in Wood Laminations: Force Sensing Resistor (FSR)

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:14:57 +0000

For this sketching series I used a laser cutter in combination with a wood planer, joiner, table saw, band saw, and belt sander.

Notebook cover laser test for FSR

Cut through notebook with FSR laser tests

Since I knew that force sensors liked a cushion I started with some laser cutting tests with cork (which I bought at the hardware store as cork trivets and planed to the desired thickness.)

Burnt cork

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay tests

Force sensing resistor (FSR) inlay

Milling Maching Joinery Tests

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:54:09 +0000

I decided to try an incorporate the milling machine into my wood joinery studies. Could use 2mm to 16mm end mills. Later I discovered an opportunity to use router bits in the milling machine and created dovetails.

14mm end mill cutting tenon

Milling machine with digital readout

Milling machine mortise

Milling machine tenon

Milling machine sketches

Milling machine with router bit tests

Milling machine tests

Milling machine mortise and tenon

Milling machine sketches

Hand-cut Wood Joinery

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:28:11 +0000

Since I have chosen wood as the archetypal natural (organic) material, I aslo started with traditional craft tools and techniques.

The workbench

The workbench detail

Digital to analog

English dovetail saw

First chiseling

Dovetail saw

Roughing the tenon

Marking gauge

Sharp swedish chisels

Tight hand cut mortise and tenon

Hand-cut mortise and tenon

Paper Doll’s Furniture (Laser Cut) for Papercamp

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:57:27 +0000

My feature contribution to Papercamp London was a set of paper doll’s furniture cut on the laser cutter from 300gsm paper.

Paper chair laser tests

Pile of paper chair laser tests

Paper chair page

Paper chair page detail

Etch and cut detail

Lifting first chair

First chair lifted

Reception Chair

Reception Chair detail

Rocking Chair

Rocking Chair detail

Rocking Chair Detail

Papercamp London

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:33:48 +0000

While in Umeå I remotely participated in Papercamp in London.

Early laser on 300gsm paper

Laser test detail

final Signage detail

Final Signage

Matt Jones presenting my work via live feed from Umeå to London

Laser Cutter Paper Tests: Notebook

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:23:55 +0000

Cutting through baggage tags on my notebook

Notebook Cover Etched with a laser cutter

Cut into Baggage tag

Laser cut into notebook backcover

Cut half way through notebook paper

half way through notebook paper

Augmented Reality Blocks

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:13:22 +0000

Tellart created a holiday card building upon opensource AR technologies and I created wooded blocks with the UID laser cutter to work as fiducials.

Early speed and power tests on the laser cutter

First Laser Cut Block Test

Testing laser speed and power with birch

Got the speed and depth right for pattern recognition

First well cut block

Link to Tellart’s AR Holiday Card:
http://stream.tellart.com/2008/12/20/happy-holidays-from-tellart/

Will refine the software to capture the blocks as fiducials and then create a spelling game. The simple objective is to recognize three letters in a row by video: D O G. Will work on software back in Providence.

Setup

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:50:07 +0000

Started with a 3 meter plank of raw birch

And, milled it to flat and square. Created 16 pieces, each 36×36mm X 300mm

Provisional Project Calendar

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:43:06 +0000

Oct 18 - Oct 25: Matt in Umeå
Draft Thesis Project Review with PR

Nov 26
Revised Thesis Project Description complete with schedule and cost estimates emailed to PR

Dec 9
Name of sponsoring company(ies) submitted to PR and Project Tutor complete with contact person information

Jan 4 - Jan 20: Matt in Umeå
5 minute presentation of Degree Project in auditorium on Jan 19

Jan 21 - Jan 25: Matt in Oslo
Work with Timo Arnall to make a workshop on Switches at Oslo School of Architecture

Feb 25 - Feb 27: Lift
Attend and ideally present at the Lift conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Matt, Timo and Adam are likely to be attending—would be ideal to have time planned for some discussion around the project.

March 9 - March 12: ETech Conference
Presenting a workshop on Holistic Service Prototyping: Sketching in Hardware and Software. Believe that Matt, Timo and Adam will be attending—would be ideal to have time planned for some discussion around the project.

March 13 - March 29: Matt in Umeå
Halfway Meeting with PR and Project Tutor on March 17/18

April 11 - April 18: Matt in Umeå
Five week out meeting

April 22 - April 27: Salone Internazionale del Mobile
Bring and hopefully formally present the swatches in Milano, Italia

May 8

(Matt submits Thesis Report via Email to the PR)

May 15 - June 5: Matt in Umeå
Examinination, Poster Submission, Report Submission, Degree Exhibition Opening, Graduation Dinner

Projected Deliverables

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:41:40 +0000

This project will culminate in a series of sketches/swatches—not specifications for a product or service. With this said, it is my goal to discover product and architectural applications through this sketching process—these application concepts will be in rough-sketch form and only meant to inspire the audience. Since there will be no user ethnographic research or testing of ideas, any Sketch Application Concepts should be viewed only as seeds of ideas.

Project Committee

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:41:04 +0000

For this project I am proposing the formation of a project committee comprised of international thought leaders on ubiquitous computing, social objects, and design. This committee would participate in the ideation and sketching process in a variety of ways: online documentation and conversation, my visiting members at their locations around Europe, and during a three-day summit during the Spring of 2009. During this summit the committee members would be invited to UID to participate in a Friday of presentations hosted by the project then spend the weekend at the ICE HOTEL where we would engage in critique and ideation. The summit presentations and documentation of the ICE HOTEL visit would be major components of my final deliverables.

• PROJECT COMMITTEE
o Adam Greenfield, Head of Design Direction for service and user interface design for Nokia.

He has spent the past ten years exploring the intersection of technology, design and culture, with a strong focus on issues around ubiquitous computing. His 2006 book on the subject, Everyware, has been acclaimed as “groundbreaking,” “elegant,” and “soulful” by Bruce Sterling, and “gracefully written, fascinating, and deeply wise” by Wired’s Steve Silberman.

Previously a rock critic, coffeehouse owner, San Francisco bike messenger, psychological operations sergeant in the US Army Special Operations Command, and head of the information architecture department for the Tokyo office of the notorious early Internet consultancy Razorfish, Adam speaks frequently before a wide variety of audiences. He lives and works in Helsinki, Finland.

o Matt Jones, Founder and Lead Designer, Dopplr

Matt Jones is a designer. He was creative director for the award-winning BBC News Online and Sapient’s London studio in the late 1990s, then returned to the BBC in 2001 to design the BBC’s first web search and a pioneering geo-located social network for social activism. From 2003, he joined Nokia in design research, then as a Director of UX Design. He is one of the founders/lead designer of Dopplr.com, a service for
frequent travelers.

o Timo Arnall, Design Researcher, Oslo School of Architecture

Timo is a designer working with interactive products and media. He leads an international research project on mobile technology, collaborates on interaction design work and lectures in design, physical computing and design methodology. Timo’s work spans design, media and technology; specialising in emerging use of new technologies, sketching and design of user-experience, and the visual design of ubiquitous computing. Previous history of his design work has included projects on the web, location-based and mobile services, film and interactive television production, motion graphics, installations and exhibitions.

Timo is currently based in Oslo but regularly works in London, Helsinki
and Brussels

o Mikael Wiberg, Mike Stott and Jasjit Singh from UID would also be participants

My project sponsor is:

Sketching, Swatches and the New Covetables

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:36:40 +0000

CHALLENGE OVERVIEW
Furniture, jewelry, fine art, architecture are all objects that people tend to care for and hand-down through generations. What are the qualities that set these objects apart and how can a digital product transcend to having a place in this exclusive group? Consider the concept of “heirloom electronics”: What factors are involved with a person wanting to keep something for a long time, to hand-it-down between generations, to appreciate it beyond its monetary value. What sensual qualities make an object covetable? How can natural organic materials be synthesized with electronics? How can these parts and the interactions that they afford as an interface be intrinsically related—feel as if they were naturally born together; to be parts of a single anatomy; be singular and precious.

This project will embrace a material exploration as the ultimate deliverable. Through a series of sketches, swatches (simple abstractions involving both organic and digital materials), I will explore a variety of form and behavior compositions. This process of sketching with natural physical materials, hand craft, and both the hardware and software of digital interaction will be driven by intuition and will rely on iteration and discussion with colleagues to continuously and spontaneously guide next steps.

The few constraints that I will start with include: combination of natural materials and digital materials; objects/interfaces will be designed for humans; high quality natural materials and high craft will be valued over hyper-efficiency for mass manufacture. The majority of “swatches” (interactive compositions of natural and digital materials) will be relatively small scale and abstract. Their function will be as a sketch, to enable design exploration—to act as a sounding board for myself and as vehicles for conversations with colleagues. Success of a swatch will be measured by the contribution it makes to the sketching process and the curiosity, surprise and delight it brings to a participant—they should be coveted. Together the swatches should form a palette from which one could imagine a variety of applications.

* “New Covetables” is from a short film by the same name by Charles Eames

Early Inspirations

Matt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:31:14 +0000

So often digital products and experiences lack the aesthetic quality that comes from handicraft, and the speed with which digital technologies become obsolete often preclude the use of natural materials and time-consuming manufacturing techniques. I would like to explore how craft traditions can be brought into the center of interactive digital design.
I believe Sweden’s cultural design heritage joined with the Institute’s core philosophy will create an especially rich arena for exploring the integration of these digital and craft disciplines.
At the beginning of the last century, the Swedish Society for Industrial Design linked artists with industry with the motto of “More beautiful objects for everyday use.” Visiting Sweden I have felt the resonance of this movement. With a social-aesthetic philosophy based on that of the German Werkbund and the Bauhaus school, Swedish craftspeople and designers proved that it was possible to utilize contemporary technologies without sacrificing aesthetics and utility. I believe that we are again in a predicament where mass manufacture, digital technologies, and a globalized economy stand to threaten the quality of the goods and experiences we design and use. LCD faces on gold Rolex watches may not be the solution, but what is?

INSPIRATION: Brio
In an older issue of Svensk Form Magazine I read an article explaining that Brio has sought to reinvent itself in recent years in the face of significant challenges. Strategies have included exploring innovative products, new marketing, partners and distribution channels, lowered production costs, and repositioning as a hip brand for active mobile parents. Through this all, CEO Thomas Brautigam explains that the key challenge is in “making Brio modern while retaining its credibility.” These ideas inspired me to think about Brio’s position through the lens of “what could digital technologies do to enhance these much-loved traditional products–products that almost must be made of wood?” While the growth of manufacturing in Asia threatens the livelihoods of local craftspeople, this company’s brand is built on high quality Swedish design and craft. I think that this problem has many interesting facets including:

•    Natural materials and high-craft mixed with digital technologies
•    Globalized manufacturing versus local craft traditions.
•    Lower environmental impact through longevity (“heirloom electronics”)
•    Software layer updating to maintain a product’s relevance (keep up with intellectual sophistication of a kid as they grow; or, stay culturally modern)
•    The socio-economic issues involved with business planning for a high-quality/high-fashion brand that people will want to invest in over cheaper lower-quality options

EARLY INTERESTS
•    I am interested in the perceptual dissonance created when combining digital technologies with natural materials and high quality craftsmanship. This dissonance is often the result of the relatively short useful lifespan of digital components contrasted by the relatively long potential useful lifespan of objects made from natural materials.
•    What emotional impact is involved with having natural materials and high quality craft in a physical human-computer interface? How can this be done in a way that is not merely a case modification (i.e. rosewood case on a laptop) but rather in a way where the digital technology and the physical object are in harmony, are intrinsically related—feel naturally born together.
•    How can the high quality object act as a lasting platform for technology? Is it possible to make any computer/electronic hardware components swappable or to use mature and relatively simple digital components so that they can match the object in useful lifespan?
•    Can a high quality object have a longer useful lifespan when a software layer can be swapped and updated to match the interests, abilities, culture of its owner? Imagine a growing child with a chair and table that can be physically adjusted as they grow taller, and when its height is adjusted, the sophistication of the interface and content grow to match the intellectual development of the child.
•    Can a digital object create less of a negative environmental impact when its useful life is extended significantly by having the qualities of an heirloom electronic (high quality craft, natural high quality materials and appropriate digital technologies)?
•    Wood is a classic natural material for high quality crafted objects and when farmed responsibly can be a renewable resource. It is also biodegradable and requires relatively less caustic materials and processes in manufacturing when compared to most plastics used in digital products today. There are also a number of wood based recycled materials that could be utilized while keeping the effect of natural material. There is an international competition called Sustainable Wood that has a deadline of June 2009. A goal would be to submit the results of this project as a proposition that augmented functionality through interactivity could extend a wooden products useful life.