Abstract
The
modeling of kinetic systems, both in physical materials and virtual
simulations,
provides a methodology to better understand
and explore the forces and dynamics of our physical environment.
The need to experiment, prototype and model with programmable kinetic
forms is becoming increasingly important as digital technology
becomes more readily embedded in physical structures and provides
real-time variable data the capacity to transform the structures
themselves. This thesis introduces Topobo, a gestural design tool
embedded with kinetic memory- the ability to record, playback,
and transform physical motion in three dimensional space. As a
set of kinetic building blocks, Topobo records and repeats the
body’s gesture while the system’s peer-to-peer networking
scheme provides the capability to pass and transform a gesture.
This creates a means to represent and understand algorithmic simulations
in a physical material, providing a physical demonstration of how
a simple set of rules can lead to complex form and behavior. Topobo
takes advantage of the editability of computer data combined with
the physical immediacy of a tangible model to provide a means for
expression and investigation of kinetic patterns and processes
not possible with existing materials.
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