Awesome Interactive

Design collective onformative shows off a nifty mechanical sculpture they created, which uses a series of spinning black metal tubes which allow light from an array of fluorescent bulbs to pass through. The result is a binary pixel display with an alluring soundtrack. More here.

The Where’s Waldo books have a simple premise – look for the bespectacled, striped sweatered, knit-capped Waldo among a sea of people. If you don’t have the patience to find Waldo yourself, Redpepper’s AI-powered robot arm will take care of it for you.

Digital art and design collective Universal Everything uses a series of human motion studies to envision a new sort of interactive modeling interface, which could allow multiple participants to sculpt objects from “smart matter.” It also doubles as a dance piece.

David Bowen’s unique art installation captures data from a plant stalk blowing the wind, then echoes its movements onto 126 individual stalks placed indoors. Each indoor stalk moves in concert with its outdoor inspiration thanks to accelerometer tracking and servo motors.

While we’re not too sure of the practical uses for this technology from Disney Research, there’s no question that the idea that entire walls can become capacitive input devices for about $20 per square meter is really intriguing. What would you do with this tech?

Microsoft Research shows off a tabletop mat that uses capacitive sensors and near-field communication (NFC) to detect the shape and position of objects, as well as touch, and gestures above its surface. It could be used for interactive games and other tangible interfaces.

Looking Glass Factory’s interactive display uses specialized optics to send 32 different views of a video towards its viewer’s eye. The result is a holographic 3D image which appears to float in mid air. An Intel RealSense depth camera allows for users to interact with the image.

This unique lamp has a built in projector, computer, and sensors which allow for the creation of interactive, augmented reality apps on any tabletop. It can recognize objects based on shape, size, and color as well. Keep in mind that the version on Kickstarter is for developers.

A few years back, artist Johan Rijpma created this time-lapse video in which carefully arranged rolls of clear tape gradually gave in to the forces of gravity. The sounds made as each roll breaks free are wonderfully satisfying.

A neat demonstration designed to show off the precision and programmability of Intelligent Actuator’s technology, in which a grid comprised of dozens of mechanical actuators move up and down to guide four soccer balls along their appropriate paths.

Elastic Man is a goofy time-waster which lets you stretch, bend, and deform the character’s face right in your web browser. It’s a fun, interactive way to kill a couple of minutes, courtesy of Adult Swim and none other than Rick and Morty’s Morty.

Fashion brand COS teamed up with the awesomely-named Snarkitecture to build an epic marble track in Seoul, Korea, consisting of over 1300 feet of suspended track, on which white glass marbles roll. The ride culminates with each marble ending up in a massive pile.

The BIRD is a fingertip wearable device which can send motion control data to a Windows PC. It allows users to manipulate objects on screen by simply moving their finger and making gestures in mid-air, and is ideally suited for interacting with projected images.

Director Philip Andelman and Eko’s interactive music video for Know No Better provides dueling perspectives on the life of a young man. With a click of the mouse or trackpad, you can bounce between his real life and his imagined one on demand.

Using projection mapping and a mix of tracking systems, creative studio THÉORIZ shows off a slick prototype which projects 3D images that dynamically adapt to movements, creating a sort of Holodeck version 1.0. Everything you see was captured live, with no post-production.

Shnatko shows off one of the coolest coffee tables we’ve ever seen. It’s got a matrix of 512 RGB LEDs he’s programmed to display a variety of animations, and proximity sensors which can be used to detect movement and objects, and change the display accordingly.

Engineers from the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology developed a robotic marimba player who “listens” to live music then provides improvised accompaniment via artificial intelligence algorithms. Listen to more smooth robojams here and here.

Oliver Wilshen and Niall Quinn aka Signal-to-Noise modded an old Roland DXY pen plotter, covering its bed with strips of magnetic tape, and replacing its pen with a playback head. The result – a strange device that can play back bits of audio based on x/y coordinates.

teamLab’s interactive installation features a roomful of Murano glass pendant lamps, each of which can detect when a person stands near it, and triggers a gradual spread of color to the lamps around it. This looks so relaxing.

A 23.6″ full HD Android computer designed specifically for playing board games. It works with finger touches, game pieces and cards, and can store digital versions of physical board games. A $99 reservation gets you an early bird system for $250 off the MSRP.

Engineers from MIT Media Lab’s Tangible Media Group developed a unique tangible interface – a modular system which can change shape and color, and detect inputs anywhere along its surfaces. If we ever need a robotic pet snake or caterpillar, we know who we’re calling.

Interactive design firm Eness developed these modular LUMES light-emitting wall panels. They can be veneered with various materials including fabric, acrylic, and even blended into wood walls. This particular piece is installed at Cabrini Hospital in Malvern, Australia.

We won’t let the irritating audio take away from Mitchell F. Chan’s Something Something National Conversation (In 2 Characters or Less), which features one of the most satisfying elements we’ve seen in an art installation – two puffy white clouds colliding endlessly in mid-air.