Weekly+Lab+7+Response

=Lab 7=

What is Physical Computing?
Physical computing is a system composed of hardware and software that responds to the users senses and the physical world. This system tries to understand the tendencies of human beings.

Physical computing can apply to product design specifically to prototyping. Prototyping for a product is extremely important for the success of a product. By building something ahead of time, you can test it out and make adjustments based on observations found.

Testing is an important aspect of physical computing because you want to create a seamless interaction between people and digital information. By having something that is physically computed then users can directly manipulate and control it.

Gesture-based physical computing involves using your senses as a way to imitate and manipulate things. In the Sixth Sense Technology Demo video, we saw how information around us was being manipulated digitally through a projection of light. This wearable gesture based projection object was able to tell us about information about everything around us. It is based on humans having a sixth sense and having the ability to manifest information about something in a matter of seconds.


 * D.Tools** provides integrated support for early prototyping that includes designing, analyzing, and testing. In designing, you can manipulate what you do physically and can be shown on a monitor. This improves the design process by integrating the physical process and the digital process.

In the test mode, the D.tools will record all the interactions you have with the prototype. It will record a video stream of the user's interaction with the device that will help out with observations. It will keep a record of what you do with the product, the time, and steps taken. Lastly, analyzing involves looking at an overview of the interactions with the prototype. It will integrate a chart of frequently used parts in conjunction with the video. With D.tools you can look at multiple videos for observations.


 * Exemplar** is a programming tool that explores prototypes using sensors. Part of a trial and error type of testing. Designer demonstrates a sensor based interactions and test behaviour by constantly performing the action.

This program can work aside D.tools and can generalize examples and applications. They used a bicycle helmet to show how sensors can be used to test a product. Movement in the helmet is demonstrated through signals and how they interact with one another.