Imagine how robots in the future will integrate into our daily lives in both the real and
virtual worlds. This project, as an open source project, allows everyone to create their
own balloon robot. The entire ecosystem consists of multiple mechanical "creatures"
and humans.The three simple rules of separation, alignment, and cohesion in the
simple object balloon reference flock motion rules are used in this project. At the
same time, these creatures need to constantly sense the distance between
themselves and humans, and they also need to sense the distance between humans.
Based on the distance, the balloon creatures will show different personalities: some
are very friendly, some are combative, and some are shy. To imitate the behavior of
creatures, we don't need to give objects a lot of computer capacity. Instead, we may
instill complicated behaviors in people by establishing simple rules, convincing them
that these objects are alive, and convincing them that simple balloons have self-
awareness and generate fantastic spatial experiences while moving. The behavior
and personality of the balloons are designed to attract us to cooperate and create a
shared experience space. When balloon robots are assigned to unmanned buildings,
their behavior is similar to bird flocks and they move in groups in space. When a
person or several people enter the building space, balloon creatures follow, flee,
loiter, avoid, think, and float based on the distance they perceive in space behavior.
This human-machine interaction is recorded in real time and used to create a virtual
environment. In the virtual space, the movement trajectories of humans and balloon
robots are recorded in real time in the form of points, lines, and surfaces. The points,
lines, and surfaces of the movement trajectories form a space and create a virtual
environment. People walking in the environment can appreciate the dynamic space
they create, and the created space is also an interactive environment. The I.F.L.Y
project simultaneously projects balloon actions from the real world into the virtual
world, allowing participants to experience more dynamic ways and methods of spatial
alteration and reconstruction.
Our main areas of interest are investigating new technology used in interactive design and conducting human-centered research. We believe these research could have influences on our daily lives. We have a special affinity for making site-specific artwork that connects viewers to their surroundings. My most recent project, I.F.L.Y., investigates the interaction between a robot and a person by building autonomous flying balloons that mimic human movement and behave "lifelike." We incorporated with Target3D Ltd, making I.F.L.Y exhibited in Tate Britain Museum.
