A big part of my design process involves testing out and having a play with people. When I have experimented with body-based interaction it is necessary to test the interactive systems on a scale of 1:1. To set up for this, is time consuming. I was lucky to use a photo studio at Khio, so it was always pitch dark (I was not so lucky on my exam presentation, but I’ll come to that in time). Having light conditions covered, for screen-based tests, I used a paper screen (that me and Lise made) and projection from the back.
I have to have enough distance to place the projection on the limits of the screen, so a room long enough is important (again, something I had to struggle with when the final installation was “set” in a predetermined space). I’ve been using the kinect for these type of experiments, So of course, the kinect needs to be close to the people, (so it can detect them) and aligned with the screen. When I need the kinect close to the people, but the projection near, and only one laptop as a source, the cables are never long enough.
Fixing everything so that it fits, and figuring out how high the kinect needed to be, etc. was part of the process, and I had fun just rigging everything up.
The equipment: laptop, kinect, projector (I used a small BenQ), camera and tripod.
I kept the paper screen in the studio, so it was easier to have it there every time I set up.
Hacked Kinect = cheap inexpensive depth camera. Use model 1414 (from 2010) for the addons for openFrameworks. And don’t look into the red dot or your world will turn purple.
It’s always the cables…
Seeing my desktop 3 meters long in front of participants during set-up felt a bit like being naked in front of a stranger.
Getting the kinect in the right position…
Running the app…
I love this image.
