MMDI 205 Physical Computing Studio

College of Art, Media & Design School of Design

3 credits 90.0 hours
200 level undergraduate course

In this course, students will study physical computing as a means to create interactive systems that translate human expressions from the surrounding world to the digital world, using both software and hardware. Taking the human body as a given, students will learn how a computer converts the changes in energy given off by our bodies - sound, light, heat, motion, etc. - into changing electronic signals that computers can read and interpret. Students will learn to build and program their own micro-controller board, with an emphasis on techniques and approaches for the generation of temporal and spatial processes. Through discussions of interactivity, students will design computing applications that utilize these forms of physical expression. Possibilities include the control of kinetic sculptures, custom performance interfaces, installations, the presence of sound or light and reactive/interactive responsive works.

This course may be repeated for credit.