Final Project: Social Interactions and Proximity

Final Project: Social Interactions and Proximity

The group have finally came up with a decision to create a project through the subjects of social interaction and personal proximity using Arduino, Flash and Projection technologies. We have initially realised that by using Arduino tools such as the boards and attachments, we will be able to create various equipment which will be vital in helping us with social interacting with the people of Stonehouse along with testing their personal spaces and their proximity limits.

The reasoning for our decision to conduct a project based on social interactions is mainly because of the fact that we didn't feel too welcome in the area. In our chosen location (Royal Williams Yard) we will try and convert this area of living into a social area which will improve social interactivities in this part of Stonehouse. This will hopefully transform this part of Stonehouse into a busy, social and lively place. It may even draw all three social groups Wealthy, Working and Lower classes together to become more of a social unit than what it is now.

Information

Chosen Location: Royal Williams Yard

This project will explore the ideas of social interaction through processes of projection and proximity.

Required Software/Hardware:

Arduino Board
(Wireless) Webcam
Infrared Sensor
Laptop
Projector
(Capture Card)
Flash Processing

To make the social interactions work, we will need to use these tools to increase the adaptability in this subject area. An infrared sensor will be used to track who comes into contact with the equipment. When someone walks past the sensor, it will pick them up. The information is sent to a laptop which will, in turn make a sound. The sound will be recorded from one of us with a perky quote or word which will basically grab peoples attention. The sound will be produced by a loudspeaker, just like a propaganda tower in China. From the WiFi data we collected we found various wireless network names, these will also be mentioned in a subtle voice to increase the attention across the chosen location. This may make people pay more attention. If a person does respond to this and approach where the sound was coming from, a projection of the person will appear through a camera which is linked to the laptop. From the projection, it will show the person interacting with our equipment.

By using Flash processing, we will be able to create a projection that detects movement of the interacting people. A box which appears on the projection will identify moving parts of the person. This will then transform into a circular radius of circles surrounding the person to display personal space. More sounds will be produced from the speakers, interacting quotes which will intend to be friendly and positive. When the person has continued on with their day, the systems will continue back to normal, the projection will turn off until the next person arrives to interact.

Visual Concept
The image created by the group (below) displays an idea of what we want our project to become. As you can see, we have sets of speakers higher up the building which produces audio such as the SSID's and WiFi data sounds and the lower speakers will be used to produce the social interactions introducing communication through a digital medium. The projector and arduino proximity sensor will then be used to track movement in the area and will project the visual display of social proximity rings around a passer by. The closer the person gets the proximity sensor, more audiolisations increase.



Background
The idea behind our social interaction using the web camera and the image projection of the social rings surrounding the passer by is based on Augmented Reality. By having the overlay tracking the persons movement with social rings displaying personal proximity, social interactions increase as the intimate distance decreases (measured by arduino proximity sensor), more social audio will be produced from our 'propaganda speaker tower'.



Development of the Motion Tracker

The example code below is produced in Flash and is designed to create the motion tracker on a webcam. It declares motion tracking through the webcam and uses X and Y axis to create a box or an image perimeter which will output onto the webcam to track passers by. The Prototype video in my recent post shows the capability of the usage of webcam and the image/box perimeter which tracks the person moving around in the projected area. Whenever movement is detected, the image perimeter will move towards that area and in the prototype this works very successfully.

package {

import flash.display.*;
import flash.events.*;
import flash.media.*;
import flash.filters.ColorMatrixFilter;

import com.gskinner.geom.ColorMatrix;
import uk.co.soulwire.cv.MotionTracker;

public class motionTrack extends MovieClip {

private var targetPoint:Shape;
private var boundsBox:Shape;
private var output:Bitmap;
private var source:Bitmap;
private var video:BitmapData;
private var matrix:ColorMatrix;
private var motionTracker:MotionTracker;


private var inputW:int = 320;
private var inputH:int = 240;

private var outputW:int = 640;
private var outputH:int = 480;


public function motionTrack() {
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
}

private function init(e:Event) {
var cameraInput:Camera = Camera.getCamera();
cameraInput.setMode(inputW, inputH, stage.frameRate);

var videoInput:Video = new Video(outputW, outputH);
videoInput.attachCamera(cameraInput);

motionTracker = new MotionTracker(videoInput);
//`motionTracker.flipInput = true;

matrix = new ColorMatrix();
matrix.brightness = motionTracker.brightness;
matrix.contrast = motionTracker.contrast;

video = new BitmapData(outputW, outputH, false, 0);
source = new Bitmap(video);
source.scaleX = -1;
source.x = 0;
source.y = 0;
source.filters = [new ColorMatrixFilter(matrix.toArray())];
//addChild(source);

output = new Bitmap(motionTracker.trackingImage);
output.x = 0;
output.y = 0;
//addChild(output);
addChildAt(videoInput, 0);

targetPoint = new Shape();
targetPoint.graphics.lineStyle(0, 0xFFFFFF);
targetPoint.graphics.drawCircle(0, 0, 10);
//addChild(targetPoint);

boundsBox = new Shape();
boundsBox.x = output.x;
boundsBox.y = output.y;
//addChild(boundsBox);

addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, step);
}

private function step(e:Event) {
motionTracker.track();

targetPoint.x += ((motionTracker.x + boundsBox.x) - targetPoint.x) / 10;
targetPoint.y += ((motionTracker.y + boundsBox.y) - targetPoint.y) / 10;

video.draw(motionTracker.input);

if ( !motionTracker.hasMovement ) return;

socialRing.x += ((motionTracker.x + boundsBox.x) - socialRing.x)/2;
socialRing.y += ((boundsBox.y) - socialRing.y + boundsBox.height)/2;

socialRing.width = 50 * (socialRing.y / 100);
socialRing.height = socialRing.width / 2;

boundsBox.graphics.clear();
boundsBox.graphics.lineStyle(0, 0xFFFFFF);
boundsBox.graphics.drawRect(motionTracker.motionArea.x, motionTracker.motionArea.y, motionTracker.motionArea.width, motionTracker.motionArea.height);
}
}
}

Sounds and Interaction
Below are twenty different sounds which the group have decided to use for our project. They are designed to intrigue passers by to wonder where the sound is coming from and to eventually persuade the person(s) to approach where they will then appear on our laptop screen with a personal space aurora surrounding them. The sounds are positive sayings to compliment passers by and there are some which sound like the computer is thinking (such as I'm not sure about this.). Along with these 20 voices, there will also be a form of 'Propaganda' theme which will produce sounds such as the names of every WiFi connection we found in the Hertizan Space exercise. Each name will be called out as background sounds, maybe passers by in the area may know what it's saying and may interact sooner.

1. “Smile at a stranger. See what happens.”
2. “What’s the worse that could happen?”
3. “I’m not sure about this.”
4. “Now I’m sure!”
5. “I wonder where you’re going to.”
6. “Do you know where you’re coming from?”
7. “Keep up the good work!”
8. “Hi I am ----- If you don't mind, I would like to hear your opinion about this...”
9. “Looking great today!”
10. “Hello, would you like some help?”
11. “Kinda chilly today isn’t it?”
12. “Nice tie sir.”
13. “I like your shoes”
14. "What a nice sunny day!"
15. "Shame it's raining today..forgot my umbrella."
16. "Hey, hows it going guys?"
17. "Hey, over here!"
18. "Have a nice day! (Sir/Madam)"
19. "Take it easy"
20. "Would you like some company?"

Propaganda Tower Voice Recording. by youarenotoriginal

Wifi SSID Recording. by youarenotoriginal




Personal Interaction Device (With Arduino)

A Personal Interactive Device has been created by the group to assist passers by within the area of Royal Williams Yard. This will hopefully increase social patterns in this deprived area! The Arduino Board (labelled B) is the central brain of this device which takes the signals from the other components and relays to a laptop which will read the incoming information. Without this board, we couldn't program anything for the other components to work. The motion sensor (C) detects the proximity of people passing by and this will send the data back to the board. This can then trigger the sound and audio clips from an mp3 source such as a laptop to relay to the speakers.



This processing/arduino code snippet shows how the arduino board detects the infra-red sensors state as being on or off (high or low) and then sets off the buzzer(A) will be exchanged with an instrument which sends data to the arduino board back to the laptop which will then play the sounds and audio clips.



Saul Hardman (Group Member) mentioned that if we had an .mp3 sensor shield (they unfortunately cost above £50) .mp3 files stored on an SD card would be played through a speaker, instead of just a buzzer making a sound.

Update 24/03/2010
Prototype (Motion)

Here are fully working prototypes of our Motion tracking equipment, as you can see they are fully quite responsive to sudden movements and will track the moving person/object with swift recognition. A few bugs have been noticed but this is really what we have been looking for to try out in Stonehouses Royal Williams Yard.








The Conversation Maker

By group contribution, we have come up with a helpful idea to add a selling point to our idea using 1980's propaganda advertisement. A poster designed by one of our group members shows visual style of advertising dating back to the 80's to advertise our 'Conversation instigation tool'. By using the Arduino tools we have, it can be created into a button that can clip around clothing like a poppy. This would be an ideal conversation tool which can bring people closer in damaged societies and will bring all working and wealthy classes closer together.



Overall

Summing everything up, our group has created a social interaction project which will help transform Stonehouse's social interactions in the area of Royal William's Yard. By using our Propaganda Tower to gain attention to the surrounding environment, people wearing Personal Social Devices would engage in conversation and begin better social interactions with one-another. The whole area will be projected to a website as a live feed with the Social Rings Visualisation overlay so curious onlookers of the project can examine and excite about the project.

Arduino Research

Arduino



Arduino is a tool for the design and development of embedded computer systems. It can consist of simple open hardware designs for a single-board microcontroller with embedded I/O support and a standard programming language (this is based on the interface of Processing and uses C and C++ languages).

Arduino is low costing, flexible, easy to use for all people of all different backgrounds such as artists and hobbyists.

The example below displays some syntax of a simple command telling an LED bulb to turn on and off every few seconds. The code identifies the pin where the LED has been mounted and sets the digital pin as an output. Then the system sets the LED on and off.

WiFi (Rough Map) and Hertizan Space

WiFi Data

Wireless Communications has been a hot topic this week and Ben Reynhart (who works at Mutant Labs) began giving us a lecture in Hertizan Space. There are known devices which are capable of transmitting and recieving signals such as electro-magnetic radiation.

We went to investigate how this kind of idea would work in the outside world, how could something like this transform the way we look at Stonehouse?

One of the groups favourited areas is Royal Williams Dockyard. It's an ideal place to investigate how we could convert electro-magnetic radiation into something visually and graphically representable.

From the data we have collected in our selected area of Stonehouse, we have begun using WiFi enabling equipment such as phones and laptops to find how many WiFi signals we can find. We found alot of conclusive results that people in this part of Stonehouse use the internet alot and have individual internet connections belonging to various ISP's (Internet Service Providers). The common ones such as SKY, BT, Virgin and the infamous uncommon ones such as MASSBREWUP and Googanies-hair (possibly mobile devices with bluetooth activated..). We also found an open network which was named Hpsetup which wasn't protected and had a strength of 2 bars, so it is relatively useable by all of the people that lived in this area (especially section 1).

Here is a rough representation of the map to come, it will basically display different strengths based on my laptops status along in the area we selected. The more bars, the stronger the signal. The example shows all of the strength 2's in the area which was the most common signal strength in the area.

The Wonders of GPS (Global Positioning Satelites)

Global Positioning

The use of GPS devices has exploded with brand new ideas within the past 5-10 years, some are very handy and incredibly accurate, whilst others are not. Recent breakthrough in technology has given us some amazing mobile phones which carry GPS tracking capabilities such as the Google Android. With various applications, the phone can be wirelessly connected to a local satelite in the Earths upper atmosphere ready for usage. After a journey is complete, the data can be tracked using the google site (Google Latitude) which draws the map where you have been. Useful, but how useful is it for our Transforming Stonehouse Visit?

When conducting the task of GPS Mapping, we had to stick to certain rules which include:

-Turn left at blue signs.
-Turn right at red signs.
-Turn back at black signs.

These rules were not to difficult to follow as Plymouth is plastered with signs everywhere, so moving in different directions really helped the changes in data instead of just walking in a straight line constantly. There were slight inconsistencies with the results from the map (displayed below) which initially put the group off of using GPS Mapping in the final project, but it was worth testing.



Another example of a great piece of technology for similar jobs is this:
Clarion H.M.I. Clarion have designed this epic tool which acts as your normal GPS device for your car, but it is also designed to be taken out and can be used whilst walking around the town trying to find various hard to find destinations. Using the same idea as Google Android, it tracks where the user is going, but actually lets the user see where he/she is actually walking to. Not only this, it can be used as a media device to play music, video whilst on the go. In my opinion only three words describe this: I WANT ONE!

Personal Spaces

Personal Spaces

In this next part of the Stonehouse Project the group will need to establish an eye on the reactions to the General Public. This kind of study will mean going back out into the Stonehouse area and search for an area with a busy pedestrian area. Example of this would be Union Street.


The diagram above displays the personal space between myself and the distance which will have people walking by it. The concept of this is like a beacon tower sending radio frequencies, if this were visible to the human eye, then this would be just like it. Different reactions will most likely occur when the people walk close by as they will be trying to divert away from my personal space. Their personal spaces will also be changed when they change direction around my static position. When small paths are concerned, personal space will be breached further when the pedestrian will have to come in close contact within my area.



In this more detailed diagram it displays an example of the distance which maybe measured for the data. 10 meters is a proposed area for the personal space. From the centre outwards it would be 5 meters all around, giving the chance to collect sufficient data. Because most of the paths are less than 5 metres in length, it will be very interesting to see how the pedestrians reactions are when trying to pass whilst trying to avoid walking on the main road.

It will also be interesting to find out how people in this area react in certain areas such as bus stops, shops or simply waiting for someone. This area is fairly dangerous, especially at night due to vandalism and crime. So the local people may look cautious during the day; constantly looking over their shoulders just in case. When I first visited Stonehouse, it was mainly elderly pedestrians and middle aged people walking to work, waiting at bus stops or visiting the local shops and cafe's. It was very busy in Union Street, but Cremyll Street was busy aswell. This is where I encountered most of the elderly population. They seemed to have known the area long enough to know how to react to personal spaces and being safe in this rough part of Plymouth.

Chosen Site - Projection

Location
The group have found a very interesting site to conduct the task of Projection.

It's located just south of Cremyll street within a protective area. This protective area holds fairly pricey flats with secure car parks with walls surrounding the area and the sea casting as another barrier behind the building. To get into this area there is a gate which keeps this place away from the run down parts of Stonehouse.





Ideal

This location is purely ideal for projection because of the buildings shape and Symmetry which is perfect for projecting various effects on the surface we have found. The huge chimney in the centre of the building helps create the symmetry by dividing the building in two.

Projection Concept

Using Photoshop I have created a little concept example of what the projection could look like... Depending on the colour filters used within the projector to produce special effects on this historic building. I have used special filter effects such as water ripples to produce a feeling that the windows are made out of water. Using artistic and distortion filters I have been able to fill the other windows and parts of the structure with different effects to create a special mixture of textures. Colours used are from using adjustments such as colour/balance and hue/saturations to create a visual glow. I have also used layer styles such as the motion blur in the background to keep the viewer focussed on the building.

Collaborated Map

Collaborated Map - Group Effort.

This map is the collaborated effort from the group. Combining all of the groups efforts into one single map. By layering the maps together, we have created a super map which is designed to drag everything together to share our ideas in the strategy to find out our main project.