Svibe
Svibe
Back in 2018, I stumbled upon a competition for a grant to develop a new technology aimed to improve people’s health. I started working on an idea I have had while reading about Haptics and Virtual / Augmented Reality research and development. Unfortunately, the project was to complex to fit the grant’s requirements but it kick started an adventure I am still living today.
Not yet ready to talk about the technology and goals of this mission but I can share some of the early R&D with the first few versions (currently@v0.18.0).
The first goals was to test an hypothesis about specific haptic sensations/perception I had in mind. It took a while to workout out both hardware and software solutions. Coming from a digital art background, my first inclination was use the tools I felt most comfortable with at the time, Cinema4D and Ableton.
I knew exactly what to do but I also knew of the limits of scalability. A dead end in terms of development but valuable knowledge to be gain by exploring this solution anyway.
Data is generated via Cinema4D using cloners and effectors, formatted and sent over network via c4D’s python plugin platform.
It is then picked up by ShowTime, a python library developed to enable network communication with Ableton Live, transforming cinema4D into a live midi controller.
Two other solutions were developed to get a feel of what could be possible with familiar tools, looking at other ways to generate and visualise data as well as controlling Ableton.
A touch controller developed with Xcode (swift) running on an Ipad and a simple java based solution using Processing.
Hardware consisted of a Motu 24Ao analog output with individuals audio amplifier driving “voice coil” transducers.
Transducer were sewed on elastic bands via printer socket. Bra Hook and Eye Bra strap sew-in fasteners were used for quick release mechanism.
The results were surprising and interesting. Hypothesis was validated and goals recalibrated concluding the first phase of R&D. It was time to learn new tools and take a more classical approach to haptic hardware design.
Iteration cycles can sometime be lengthy with extensive amount of time without seeing in result which can be difficult to manage at times. In general, I try to break down those cycles into the smallest chunks possible, a basic problem solving rule, but also a dopamine regulation with a bit of instant gratification.
Fast forward a little, here is an exciting snapshot of the firmware’s evolution around v0.11.0. This period was focused on hardware controller and physical Ui. A rewarding moment, a delayed gratification, marking the end of a development cycle.
Iteration cycles can sometime be lengthy with extensive amount of time without seeing any results which can be difficult to manage at times. In general, I try to break down those cycles into the smallest chunks possible, a basic problem solving rule, but also a dopamine regulation strategy with small instant gratifications.
