Fred Leighton
Interaction Design Projects
Tangible Synergetic Domes
Georgia Tech, Digital Media, MS Thesis Project, 2012. Proof of concept design and development: an interactive children's science museum exhibit for understanding the principles of geodesic dome construction developed by R. Buckminster Fuller. Showcasing skills acquired in the areas of Tangible User Interface (Table-top TUI), Industrial Design and Exhibition Design. By picking up and placing triangles into position, children learn about geodesic dome construction. Identifying the repeating patterns in these structures without comprehending the mathematics involved. Developed in Digital Media program at Georgia Tech. TEI 13 - Work in Progress Paper
Tangible Cryptocurrency
Ambient User Interface and Tangible User Interface, 2017. Proof of concept design for information visualization system with an embedded computing object that functions independently and as a tangible in a TUI. Current and historical prices for Bitcoin are collected and analyzed for changes in value over time. The amount and direction of change in these values over the past day is communicated through object’s light levels and color values. When the object is used as a tangible, the TUI surface displays graphics, connected to the object, that indicate Bitcoin values and changes for the previous week. Developed as part of research at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Work in Progress Paper - unpublished
Six Million Dollar Man
Design Concept, Working Prototype, 2014. This trivia game features content from the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman 1970s television series and associated popular culture artifacts. Points are scored by answering questions from an iPhone app. A modified original 1978 Bally pinball machine playfield has been outfitted with forty-eight working LEDs and sound to provide positive and negative feedback. LEDs are connected to Arduino processors and controlled by MAX software. Wireless communication via Wi-Fi signal.
Digital 8-Track
Class Project, Georgia Tech, Aesthetics of Digital Media, Fall 2011. This project explores using older delivery formats for popular music to act as physical containers for digitally remastered versions of original content. Re-designing the orignal format container to deliver updated digital content is an exploration of these questions: how does an artifact, in this case an 8-Track tape, help create personaliztion? What are the design choices for form in delivering digital content when physical size for storage is always decreasing and not a constraint? Does remastering the original audio with current techniques and standards make the re-release necessarily better?
iAnimals
Class Project, Georgia Tech, Exhibition Design, Summer 2011. Design of mobile app for Atlanta Zoo. Prototype built in Flash. Goals: Provide relevant information for visitors: GPS enabled map, hours, rates, schedule. Enhance exhibits with information and activities. iAnimal: Collectible digital cards in app. Scan QR code at exhibit. Targeted to children (8 - 12 yrs). Activities linked to animals. Designed for use at exhibits.
Distant Narratives
Class Project, Georgia Tech, Independent Study, Spring 2011. This project addresses the issue of isolation in older adults by allowing for presence to be communicated through visual and haptic feedback. The prototype design shown here is a first step in realizing a design which inculdes motion sensors, video cameras, and fans set in passage ways in the home; still images and motion are communicated between three remote stations. Each setup sends and receives data using wireless internet. The feeling of physical proximity generated from the movement of air is a subtle communication of presence, similar to the sensation of walking by another person.
Electroluminescent Poster
Group Project, Georgia Tech, Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing, Fall 2011. Electroluminescent material is used in several products as an innovative solution to create designs which feature areas of lighted material with dynamically controlled luminance values. In a poster format, EL surfaces are combined with masking materials to design layouts. This project featured EL material created with a custom printing process which included screen printing of conductive, dialectric, and EL ink on a mylar surface treated with conductive ITO. The map is designed for use at bus stops. Initial desgin concepts included interactivity with touch surface. An arduino microprocessor collects data for current bus locations, the map displays this information visually, as an illuminated section of the corresponding route. Group Paper for Course - unpublished
