Curtains: enter softly but not unnoticed 

Sociable Media Group
MIT Media Laboratory

Karrie Karahalios
Judith Donath

OVERVIEW

In the installation, Curtains: enter softly but not unnoticed, an array of curtains form a soft entry way, sensing the entrances and exits of all visitors. As people pass from curtain to curtain, their presence is detected by the metallic threaded curtain which then triggers an abstract visual display that is projected through the curtain array.

With the parting of a curtain, the projected image evolves and appears on the curtain ahead. The graphical renderings not only make the responsiveness of the sensing evident, but provide a narrative for traversing the passageway.
This project began as an art piece. We wanted to break the mold of the sensor in the black box by creating a sensing environment with a high level of response in an aesthetic and intriguing setting.

This project introduces a capacitive sensing curtain. By arranging the curtains in an array-like pattern, we also create a means for sensing a large surrounding area. Most people are already familiar with the traditional curtain and how to use it. The capapcitive sensing technology behind the curtains is ideal for the interactions in which a curtain is already used and may further influence different behaviors.

Curtains blends the aesthetics of everyday home design with sensing technology. Whereas today a sensor commonly augments a device, with Curtains, the sensing is inherent in the nature of the material. The metallic threads woven into the fabric allow for the sensing of touch and proximity. The curtain then becomes both sensor and ornament.

This interface is used in the scenario of a responsive environment. As the user moves about the curtain array, abstract forms are projected in their path. When the user peels away or enters the next curtain layer, they are then closer to seeing the next progression of the moving form.

CURTAINS

The project arose from experiments to sense touch and proximity using conductive materials. Originally, there was one set of curtains for people to interact with. While manipulating the curtain, it became compelling to not only push it aside, but to walk through it as well.

To further explore the idea of moving through the fabric, we created an array of curtains that can be traversed individually or sequentially. To understand the interaction, colored circles were projected through the array. Each color represented a different curtain; the size of the circle depicted the amount surface area contact for that curtain. The result was a dynamic visual that displayed the level of presence and interaction in that space.

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

The participant approaches an array of curtains. They may walk around the array, grasp individual panels of the curtain, move them, walk through them, or simply stand near them to trigger the images on the curtain panels.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT AND ONGOING PROTOTYPE

Curtains consists of an array of five curtains, a PC, a microprocessor, and an LCD projector. The curtain array is arranged as shown in Figure 5. Nylon thread suspended from the ceiling supports the curtains to make them appear as if they were floating.

Sensing
The curtains are made of a silk organza fabric. A very thin copper thread is wound about the weft threads of the material. It is this that makes the fabric shimmer as well as conduct. By arranging the pattern of the curtain, we make it into an equipotential and use it as an electrode for capacitive sensing. As a person approaches the curtain, their presence lengthens the time required to discharge the capacitor. We measure this time using the microprocessor and determine the proximity or surface area contact for each curtain.