Mixed Reality Laboratory

No meeting

Catch-up

Pecha Kucha

 

Richard Wetzel

 

Catch-up

Stuart Reeves

 

Cancelled talk

Mark Selby

 

Catch-up

Anthony Brown

MultiNet: Reducing Interaction Overhead in Domestic Wireless Networks

We present MultiNet, a novel method for securely associating devices with a domestic wireless network. We show that MultiNet has usability benefits over currently deployed commercial solutions while being backwards compatible with existing devices. MultiNet reduces the interaction overhead of secure association by focusing on users' interactions rather than the network's requirements. This leads to a novel architectural arrangement of the home network infrastructure: the network is dynamically re-configured to accept each pre-configured device, rather than the current norm where each device is configured to be acceptable to the pre-configured network. Assuming devices are pre-configured for a unique, device-specific network name and passphrase, MultiNet constructs an out-of-band visual channel via an intermediary network controller device to convey the device's configuration to the network. This makes the interaction to join a device to the wireless network lightweight and identical across all devices, considerably reducing the interaction overheads for users.

External speaker

KAIST PhD students - Wonjun Lee and Jongbum Woo

James Norris

CHI presentation

Easter break

No meeting

Catch-up

Joel Fischer

 

External speaker

Andrew Webb
Interface Ecology Lab
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Texas A&M University

The growing wealth of digital information and media support people in curating collections for thinking about, reflecting upon, and making decisions on creative open-ended tasks, such as planning an outfit, developing a crisis response, or imagining an invention. Curation means developing a conceptual focus, choosing contextual information, annotating, and synthesizing ideas. We call the curation tasks where people search, browse, read, collect, and reflect upon information to have new ideas, information-based ideation tasks.

We develop new digital curation environments and interaction techniques. We investigate effects on creativity, reflection, interpretation, and engagement. We employ our information-based ideation evaluation methodology, comparing both curation products as a whole and individual collected elements. We analyze quantitative and qualitative data from user experience report questionnaires.

No meeting

Robert Spencer

 

External speaker

Craig Vear - Intermediality and Performance Research Group

Adrian Hazzard

 

Ian Dent

 

Catch-up

External speaker

What is BIM?

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the digital prototyping of buildings in design, construction and operation. The use of these new technologies is quickly diffusing in the design and construction industries but many of the opportunities presented to rethink the way we procure our built environment are being missed. Similarly, the significant potential BIM offers to improve the operation of buildings has yet to be fully realised. This presentation will explore some of the challenges and opportunities in the UK construction and operation industries and look at possible futures where our digital environment might become as important as our physical one.

External speaker

Andrew Wilson has been using mobile phones for creative participation for more than 10 years, and his work includes the Guardian’s SMS poetry competition; City Poems in Leeds and Antwerp, commended in the British Interactive Media Awards, and Free All Monsters! a game for children, families and even grown ups, using a Monstervision Machine, a monster spotter’s guide and the Fluffy Orange Pencil Case.

Andrew is trying to work out a socially engaged arts practice that recognises playful innovation with technology, the value of small enterprises, and a concern with the process of adoption of technology by participants and organisations. As a structure to enable this socially engaged practice, in 2010 he founded Thumbprint Co-operative, and he has worked with large organisations including the BBC, Greater Manchester Police and Kirklees Council as well as with local councillors, front line council staff, third sector organisations including a drug treatment agency and an arts and mental health charity, and small voluntary groups such as a community creative writing workshop and a community allotment. Part of this work has been supported by funding from NESTA through two of its national programmes, Reboot Britain and Make It Local.

Rachel Jacobs