NEWS At a world-leading research conference in the United States, exciting research will be presented from Umeå University on the crossroads between architecture and interaction design. New dynamic materials, known as transmaterials, and new interactive textures enable an extraordinary meeting between architecture and digital technology.
In an approximately 100 square metre indoor area in Copenhagen, Denmark, visitors can now have an abstract experience of one of northern Sweden’s biggest attractions, the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi. Large sculpted blocks of ice are combined with interesting architecture, art and low-resolution digital technology with pixel walls from Philips.
“Researchers and business organisations have worked together to create an architecture and atmosphere that conveys "The Spirit of Icehotel," explains Mikael Wiberg, Associate Professor at the Department of Informatics and Research Deader at Umeå Institute of Design.
A new interactive environment has been realized in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark through the EU Structural Fund objective 2 ("Mål 2") financed development project xID 2.0 that has been implemented in close cooperation between the Department of Informatics, Umeå Institute of Design and HUMlab, including industry leaders Icehotel, Philips and Jung von Matt.
Research findings of the project, which includes a focus on theoretical developments about interactive textures as architectural elements, will be presented at the world's leading scientific conference "TEI 2010 - International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction", 25-27 January 2010 at MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The conference addresses HCI issues, design, interactive art, user experience, tools and technologies, with a strong focus on how computing can finally bridge atoms and bits into cohesive interactive systems.
“The competition was intense,” said Mikael Wiberg. “Out of a total of 160 submissions, only 24 will be presented at the conference and published by ACM Press.
The authors of the scientific article "Texturing the materials turn into interaction design" are Professor Mikael Wiberg and Erica Robles, who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and postdoctoral researcher at HUMlab, and currently an assistant professor at New York University. In addition, Robles has collaborated with Patrik Svensson, Director of HUMlab, in starting an international research network in the field of ‘screen research.’
“It is a true honour to present our research findings at this conference. It is also a significant indication that we are carrying out distinct and relevant research in this emerging field,” says Mikael Wiberg.
For further information contact: Mikael Wiberg, Associate ProfessorDepartment of Informatics and Research Director at Umeå Institute of DesignUmeå University Phone: +46 (0)70-662 10
Editor: David Meyers