Old technology can take on new meaning, once injected with the intelligence of today’s software. And so it is that the plotter – the specialist printing gear invented in a decade past – is being given a new lease on life. With computer vision software, the free and open source OpenCV library, and the free, rapid-development code toolkit for artists OpenFrameworks, a computer can “see” guests and “draw” them on the plotter. There’s something compelling about the kinetic quality of plotters, mechanically etching away before your very eyes. (OpenCV is also accessible via other toolkits, too, like Processing, if you want to try something similar with your tool of choice.)
The project is the work of Martin Fuchs:
www.undef.ch/
www.deffekt.ch/
http://www.flickr.com/people/d_effekt/