During 2023, several PhD Theses, research studies and workshops have been conducted at MID. We also have several student projects that strongly tie to this theme, of which some are showcased below.
Student Projects
Below are some snapshots from crafting projects conducted by students in the Physical Interaction Design and Realization course at MID during fall 2023.
Student Maria Moliteus stitching optic fibers onto her interactive solar cloak (@Middla autumn 2023).
“A solar-powered hooded cloak with fiber optic designs, blending fantasy, tech and sustainability. By using fibre optics, the amount of lightsources needed, and thereby power, is very small. This cloak lights up with fiber optic designs when you raise the hood or enter a dimly lit space.”
Hand-made embroidered loudspeaker by student Emma Svensson (autumn 2023).
“The project consists of an embroidered speaker in the shape of a seashell. The intended interaction with it is that a user is supposed to hold it by an ear and listen to music. The side with the seashell is supposed to be held outwards from the ear. The elastic string that is attached to it is intended to be dragged to lower the volume of the music that is being played. When it is not dragged, the volume is supposed to be at its maximum.”
Above video: Student Siyu Wu, exploring interactive papercrafts by making a children’s popup book (autumn 2023).
“My project was to create a book for children that can be played and engaged with. This book contains certain paper structures and mechanisms, as well as varied materials, that allow for different visual and haptic perceptions. The tale of this book is an attempt to plant a simple concept of environmental protection in the mind for educational purposes.”
An arm mounted customizable toolholder, created by student Jelte Jan Breukel @Middla, autumn 2023.
“My project is a toolholder that rotates tools around your arm via motion control. If you want to use one of the tools, you use a flicking motion to flick the tool in your hand. The microcontroller (a tiny computer to run the program to control the motor) and battery are mounted on my upper arm. The idea is that people download the 3D files to print their own holder and design and print toolholders to fit their own tools, making it a personal and modular design.”
“The initial inspiration for the women's voices project was the national protest in Bulgaria in the summer of 2023 about violence against women. The jacked turned into a tangible interactive sound piece that amplifies the voices of those affected, sparking change and raising awareness worldwide. It has a reconstructed Bluetooth speaker integrated and embroidery with the face of a woman. There is a clip-on button with her mouth that represents her ability/inability to speak. By clipping on the button the sound can be heard and the hair is a conductive thread that carries the signal to the other parts of the circuit. The interactive installation consisted of 8 stories of women from Bulgaria, India, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy and China. The stories were voiced by women who were from those countries and recorded audio in their native language as well as English. The critical design piece raised awareness and started conversations about violence against women in different countries.”
Above video: critical design project “The Desktop Press” by student Pedro Sanchez Lira, autum 2023.
“The Desktop Press is a piece of design fiction that challenges the values and priorities of digital communication as we experience it today. By using ink and a small press to hand-craft messages, users are forced to relinquish expectations of immediacy, efficiency, certainty, and control, in favour of creating a sense of intimacy, uniqueness, and connection. The ink used to produce the print is electrically conductive, and the recipient of the message can use a looking glass to translate the traces on the paper into colours or, potentially, other sensations. However, this process of translation is highly dependent on accidents inherent to the printing process and to the way the recipient holds the looking glass so that the producer of the message can't determine the result beforehand. The desktop press surfaces and makes visible the contingent and messy nature of human communication.”
Doctors in Arts & Crafts of Technology
The workgroup wants to highlight four PhD theses defended at the department of Media Technoklogy and Interaction Design at KTH, all related strongly to the theme of Crafting with Technlogy. The new doctors are (links to dissertations below) :
Above image: Material properties of designing an interactive corsetto to support signing performances, as part of PhD project by Pavel Karpachievich (KTH MID).
