After I stopped researching for small helicopters, I went back to my first idea of shapeshifting. Ball-like-shaped objects are supposed to be able to change their size in all three dimensions. I want to avoid the use of pneumatics, so i’m going about a mechanical construction.

The construction is a simple wireframe model of a ball, to be covered with a soft extensible cloth. This is the first attempt for the underlying mechanics.

“The Angel project questions the nature of fixed architecture and looks at the possibilities of an architecture lighter than air capable of sheltering us and even bringing communities together.”
LTA (Lighter Than Air) Vehicles can act in flocks to construct dynamic spaces for people to meet.

This a very interesting idea, very much related to what i’m planning to do. My future goal will be to think more about the actual shape, behaviours and ways of interaction.

“So just a little while ago I mentioned that Epson had created the world’s smallest flying robot. And while that may technically be the case, depending on how you define robot and if you define smallest by weight or by length or whatnot, this Pixelito helicopter hand-crafted by Alexander Van de Rostyne is pretty amazing. The frame is a single, twisted tube of 1mm carbon (fiber?), minus the tail boom which is 1.33mm in diameter, powered my a 6mm motor from the inside of a pager. It’s remote controlled by infrared, and weighs in at a total 6.9 grams (stupid Most Bestest Whatevers titles beside,the Epson robot is 12.3 grams, although it has more features, too).”

via gizmodo.com

I took this picture a few days ago from the window of my appartment in Berlin. It’s not a fake. These bird seems to be able to do quite fancy things. Have a close look or click the picture to open the highres version.
This is one image i had in mind when i fixed the theme of my degree: “The iconic potential of computative design”. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Thought i’m not sure, if the birds are aware of that.

Making several reactive shape-shifting objects in space – this is the recent open idea for my degree project.

I got inspired by an installation called “Dots Obsession”, 2004 by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, seen at the Berlin–Tokyo/Tokyo–Berlin exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin. Big inflated blobs are suspended or free floating in space. The dots, the vibrant colours and the arrangement of wall mirrors have a very strong effect on the perception when inside the installation room.

Seiko Epson Corporation has developed the FR Micro Flying Robot, the world’s smallest (according to Epson’s research) flying prototype microrobot.
The first version was released in November 2003, the second lighter and more advanced successor version with an image sensor unit and bluetooth control was released in August 2004.

The company hopes it’ll be suitable for security, disaster rescue and space exploration. Well, maybe even for doing some degree project. A swarm of little robots flying in space? Why not.

»FR Micro Flying Robot
»FR Micro Flying Robot advanced version

In the course of doing some research about intflatable or shape-shifting objects, I got myself a very interesting book: Inflatable Art, Architecture and Design.
Inflatables surround a very special fascination, but they can have a very kitschy connotation as well. I’m interested in simple things, that are fascinating and understandable even for little children while at the same time not beeing too superficial or worn-out.

electric moOns, by Christopher Bauder, Till Beckmann and Holger Pecht is a large interactive 3D display. It consists of 10 x 10 helium balloons, that form the dynamic display sculpture. The user can control the movement and lighting of the balloons to a chosen musical piece.