Robotspeak video window (Director’s Cut) from Donald Bell on Vimeo.
Take on Make Controller Kit, one copy of Max/MSP/Jitter, one ultrasonic sensor (deliciously superior to infrared sensors in my opinion), a projector, and a storefront window on Lower Haight in San Francisco, add in some music tech shop geeks, and you get some good fun.
Andrew Cavette shot the video. With all the flashy, sexy documentation videos claiming to be the Future of Everything, it’s nice to see a warts-and-all rockumentary of geeks mucking about with tech. The spot has a special place in my heart, too — it’s San Francisco’s truly awesome music geek boutique, Robotspeak.
And yes, simple interactive installations can be a lot of fun. So if you’ve been putting off installation ideas because you’ve been getting overly complex, don’t overlook the basics – it’s always the best place to start. (Incidentally, you can use an ultrasonic sensor with the much-cheaper Arduino. Total cost easily under US$50.) Enjoy!