where we have been

going back to my example of "dealing with the passed/past", the sensacell led floor has intrigued me in ways that go beyond the visual. on the first, most obvious level, it is a technologically innovative creation, a floor that responds to the users that walk on it. this interaction brings this device into a realm that goes beyond that of a typical electronic device or appliance. The interaction between the user and the floor itself has already created a relationship between the two sides, an awareness of each other. the ‘digital footprints’ are an interesting play on an older concept: footprints, which were originally thought of as a more organic element that exists in nature, have now been artificially created in digital form. Yet, users still experience a very natural event as the footprints illuminate and fade away slowly as they trail behind.

 

sensacell has reminded me of how we are constantly trying to reinvent the past. the new technologies that have been/are being developed today are simply new ways of doing the same tasks that we have been doing since the beginning of history. the computer is just a new way of organizing and storing information, something that was originally done with pencil and paper. the automobile takes the place of human-powered vehicles that used to be the only means of transportation from place to place. the led is a new take on the candle, still serving the purpose of providing a source of light, but in a more efficient and longer lasting way. it is interesting to look back on the mindset of designers and inventors now, compared to  that of history. the cause for the desire to invent these technologies was that there was none existing in the first place! the designers of the past were creating these ideas from scratch. looking at designers today however, the mindset is a bit different. all of the technologies in question exist already, and it has simply become a matter of reinventing the wheel. a newer car, a faster computer, a brighter light: these are examples of what we see all around us today. everybody is revisiting the past and trying to build it better. the sensacell reflects this idea. users walk on the surface, and these digital footprints appear. In addition to literally reminding the user of where they have been, one can take the concept further as a a reminder of where we have been as the human race. we leave these “footprints” in history, we have “left our mark” in time. but the sensacell is just a newer, modern way of displaying the same information. the user has taken the initiative to step onto the sensacell, and has made a few steps, and seen the result. The user has seen what their actions have caused, in the form of digital footprints. but now, what else is there to do but to keep moving forward and cross the floor? the user will continue walking across the led floor, and the same event will occur every time. the same, newer way of accomplishing the same task.  this is a good reminder to us that we as designers should not be satisfied with continuing this trend of reinventing the past. sure there are some areas that need more thought and reinventing. let those come about naturally. but as modern designers we should be seeking to create new ideas and concepts, those that have never been seen or heard of before. In today’s technological world, it seems like everything is already in existence, and that the only choice is to reinvent the old. but that obstacle should be the driving force for an even stronger desire to break of out this cycle of reinventing the past and to create something new.

the sensacell led floor starts out with just the 250 square foot floor surface. but perhaps that is just the beginning. my expansion of the sensacell concept would include a bunch of 1’x1’ square cubes that have the same led surface on each side, reacting to touch when users go to pick up the cubes. the cubes would be scattered all over the floor, and would react differently according to what the user decides to do with it. perhaps the cubes would be stacked on top of each other – this would cause the cubes color to change. the body temperature of the user holding the cube would case the intensity of the cube’s color to fluctuate accordingly. there would also be more than one sensacell floor, and each floor would also cause a change in the cube’s behavior. so the user could take a cube to different floors and see the different results caused by their action. what users take away from my version of the sensacell would hopefully be one that they have the potential to create new things. everywhere they travel within the sensacell, the concept of the digital footprints will follow them, constantly reminding them of where they have been. but the cubes will provide the ability to change the existing environment with direct interaction. users will feel that they have the ability to effectively and drastically change what is already existing with their own personal actions.

 

this is the approach that we should have as modern designers. be  aware of what’s around us, what has been around us and where we have been. let that be a reminder as we strive to move forward, and be more aware of where we are going. we should seek not to reinvent but to create!