PHYSICAL COMPUTING

As embedded computational technologies begin to permeate the built environment, new opportunities (and dilemmas) arise for architecture and urbanism. In a world of networked “things”, sensors, actuators and microcontrollers become part of an expanded material palette available to designers. Physical computing is a toolkit of techniques and methods for working with this palette. Moving beyond the space of the screen, keyboard and mouse, physical computing is interaction design in an expanded field. Emphasizing computing over the computer, physical computing enables an alternate model for human interaction with computers that foregrounds the social space of everyday life and allows computers themselves to recede to the background.

This course investigates the creative possibilities of integrating computational technologies into the physical world. We will examine this integration at the scale of the body, the home, and the city. Taking the form of a design research lab, the course combines readings, presentations, and discussions with hands-on, project-based design explorations. Basic concepts in electronics, circuit design, sensors, actuators, programming and microcontrollers are introduced alongside readings in responsive environments, pervasive computing, interaction design, and adaptive systems. The focus is on providing a critical context within which technical knowledge is developed through the design and fabrication of physical working prototypes.