The Space Table is an interactive informal experience to teach children about the formation of solar systems and how gravity, and mass play a role in their creation. Additionally, the project will explore the concepts of different celestial bodies such as stars, planets, asteroids, neutron stars, black holes, and others.
The installation will make use of three tangibles, one for a different star size. Interactors will use the tangibles to "stamp" a star on the table, which will spawn a digital star. After the star is created, interactors will be able to create asteroids and other space debris by sliding their fingers on the screen, which will, in turn, create bigger objects (such as moons or planets) when they collide with other small celestial bodies. Once the system is created, the expectation is for interactors to experiment with the celestial bodies, leading them to the discovery of cosmological concepts.
The Expressive Machinery Lab (formerly ADAM Lab) explores the intersection between cognition, creativity, and computation through the study of creative human endeavors and by building digital media artifacts that represent our findings. Applications of our findings range from AI-based digital performance to interactive narrative experiences to educational media design and development.
