Rob Faludi, faculty member for Fundamentals of Physical Computing this fall (among his other posts), was recently interviewed by Computerworld, on his vision for sociable objects, bonding plants, and bringing the outside in. Faludi is a specialist in physical computing and networked objects. As a researcher in New York University’s psychology department and Center for Neural Science, he has investigated the connections between visual perception, motor action and the physical environment.
On sociable objects“Sociable objects are simply devices that share information with each other and with people. The well-socialized object knows when and how to share. It doesn’t bother you with questions it could answer on its own. It’s happy to socialize with the other devices nearby, requesting information and lending a hand when it can.”On mesh networks“Broadly speaking, a mesh network is a collection of devices that are all connected to each other both directly and indirectly. Any one device can act as both a node and a router for other nodes. Together, the devices create a robust communications structure, one that adapts fluidly when a new device enters the network or another one is removed or fails.”On communication systems, such as Wild Light“The basic Wild Light setup is simply a lamp with a networked connection to an outdoor solar sensor. This allows the indoor fixture to directly reproduce real-time natural lighting, on a scale where if a cloud flits across the sun, your Wild Light lamp will momentarily dim and brighten. It’s harnessing technology to reconnect us to nature’s capriciousness. I think those exposures are good for the soul.”
