Are there objects that can dream? What if we could see into their dreams? These crazy questions are Media and Interaction Design students from ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne last year. Ecal's Cyril Diagne, in the context of the Virtual Reality (VR) Pecha Kucha Night in the House of Electronic Arts Basel (HeK) reported on it.
Who has ever wanted to know the personality of their floor lamp or broom? Who has ever thought about what their toaster is thinking at this very moment? Probably hardly anyone. But the mind game is very interesting and with VR and augmented reality (AR) the possibilities to tell gripping stories and create funny effects are unlimited for another time.
VR glasses skilfully staged
For the exhibition, the students had, on the one hand, made it possible to experience the inner life of the objects with VR. By looking inside the objects, such as a broom or a lamp, you could experience surprising stories. In the Tabula Rasa idea, for example, you also had a special tête-à-tête with your table. Ingenious ideas on how to skilfully stage a VR headset with everyday objects - whether for exhibitions or for marketing purposes.
With AR Games
On the other hand, the students had integrated objects into the AR. For example, a real toaster could be used to spike various objects in the air or a hairdryer could be used to change objects. The funny ideas thus primarily serve the purpose of entertainment. On the Link you will find more impressions and the ideas behind them.
A big point of discussion in the exhibition was the relationship we build with our objects and how that would change if the objects could make their own statements about their existence. So also quite a futuristic train of thought, in terms of artificial intelligence. What if in the future my toothbrush can feel via sensors and start communicating with me properly? How real will that be?
Source: Ecal
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