Enrico Costanza is a Research Assistant and PhD student in the Laboratoire de design et media, recently created at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne by Prof Jeffrey Huang. His research lies at the intersection of Urban Studies / Architecture / Design and Interactive Technology, especially mobile devices.

This website contains information about my research work and my interest in visual media. A list of my publications can be found here and my CV is available here.

I am interested in the use of technology for artistic expression and interpersonal communication. My aim is to design technology that is natural for people to use. Technology loses the form of a box and merges with everyday objects: the digital world gets closer to the physical one, though without invading it. The computer interface becomes a set of wood blocks on a table, a pair of eyeglasses, an armband, a mirror... I like complex people and simple technology.

My PhD focuses on the design and recognition of visual markers, and their application to mobile HCI. I am currently developing a system that allows considerable freedom in the visual design of the markers, and a framework to study how they can be used to attach digital information to places, buildings and physical objects through mobile phones.

In parallel to the work on visual markers, I also continue to explore some other research topics, such as tangible interfaces for music composition and performance. More information can be found through the list of projects offered in our lab.

News! The Physical Sequencer was used in a second public performance by Giovanni Sollima, in Monza on January 19 2008. Videos and more information available here. The images below show moments of the concert setup.

Before joining EPFL I received an MS in Media Arts and Sciences at MIT Media Lab, with a thesis on "Subtle, Intimate Interfaces for Mobile Human Computer Interaction" (more information is available here). At MIT I used to work as a research assistant in Prof. Pattie Maes' Ambient Intelligence group, and I also used to collaborate also with the MIT SenseABLE City Lab. Earlier, I was part of the Liminal Devices Group at Media Lab Europe, and of the Media Engineering Group at the University of York, where I received an MEng in Electronic and Communication Engineering.

You can contact me via email using my first name @media.mit.edu