TOPIC: Embodied Fabrication

Course description and overview

Deliverables

Kickoff Project
Final Project and Presentation
Documentation - Documentation of your work in the template provided
Attendance during lessons

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Ausschreibungstext 2017

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Fabrication

Instructors:

Dr Joëlle Bitton
Luke

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Franzke
Florian Wille

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Office hours by appointment
The course runs from 21.11.17 to 15.12.17, see timetable below for hours and classrooms.

Overview and Objectives

The course proposes an examination and speculation of technologies as they related to Embodied Interaction : mobile computing, wearable interfaces, location-based interactions and digital fabrication...
This examination covers societal, ethical and social influences.

This

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material intimacy
processes of fabrication / physical interactions that impact digital fab
physical position towards machine / proximity
wearability
personal data
performative aspects

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Ausschreibungstext 2016:

Situated Technology

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conceptualise and test mobile applications without screens such as wearables, location-based services, mobile devices and context-aware products.
develop context-aware technology that suits such applications (eg. capturing the location of the user, the changes of sound and light, users physiological data such as heartbeat or galvanic skin response...)
design sensory experience by the means of non-visual feedback which is suited to movement based interactions: auditory, haptic, temperature, vibration and other.
explore social interactions and personal experience that emerge in the use of their products.

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Embodied Fabrication Preliminary notes

Embodiment & Fabrication

material intimacy
processes of fabrication / physical interactions that impact digital fab
physical position towards machine / proximity
wearability
personal data
performative aspects

Topic in relation to Wearables

body extensions
visualising what is internalised
wearing the inside / out
bespoke fabrication for the body

Personal Data

making things from personal data
design by data
data storytelling / creativity
form follows data
tangible release of data

Pedagogy

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year, the course puts an emphasis on 'Embodied Fabrication', where digital fabrication is approached from the perspective of embodiment.
With more flexible and more accessible modes of fabrication, and with social aspects of fabrication emerging in recent years, we have the opportunity to investigate ways that we can transform our physical selves and environments.

During this module, we'll uncover some of these possibilities by designing and informing body orthotics with personal data. By group of 3, you'll propose such form of body extension.
Design factors may include:
• material intimacy
• processes of fabrication / physical interactions that impact digital fabrication
• wearability
• performative aspects

Your work will encounter some of these research questions:

What does interaction Design bring to the topic of Digital Fabrication?

How can the theory of embodied interaction influence digital fabrication processes?

Can the outcome of the fabrication reflect the theory of embodiment?

What tools/

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technology can be used to facilitate this process?

How

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can data be visualised in physical form? Can the data be

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understood, or is

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it a purely

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aesthetic output?

Expectations and Gradings

Grades will be based on group presentations and exercises, class participation, documentation (journal) and final work.
Contributing to constructive group feedback is an essential aspect of class participation.

Tools and Inspiration:

https://www.xethru.com/

Possible Workflow:

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Regular attendance is required. Two or more unexcused absences will affect the final grade. Arriving late on more than one occasion will also affect the grade.

Final work 50%

Group exercises/presentations 20%

Journal Documentation 20%

Class participation 10%

Any assignment that remains unfulfilled receives a failing grade.

Deliverables

Kickoff Exercises
Final Project and Presentation
Documentation
A 'Journal' is developed by each student that reflects on learnings from the course. It should be in the form of an online blog (ie. WordPress, Tumblr or other):
- The journal should be structured in a generally comprehensible manner
- The lecture notes, including annotations, are stored
- Notes, sketches for each lesson should be included as well