P r o j e c t s :  C i c a d a s

The social theory of swarming combined with the technique of electromagnetic frequency (EMF) detection. Users talking on cell phones at certain locations along our target development area (John Street, a short street in downtown Toronto which is home to our lab as well as many media, entertainment and culture institutions) trigger swarms of virtual cicadas: sound and light emitting devices installed in trees. This draws parallels between signal emission as a communication imperative in both the human and insect worlds. It also creates a situation of passive interaction whereby users play a role in the experience without necessarily deciding to do so.

This project reflects the team’s collective interest in users who don’t see themselves as such, and pass through urban spaces as solitary users of PDAs, mobile phones or laptop computers. While members of youth culture or industry people might be engaging in social networking, mostly through social networking websites such as Facebook, in order to participate in social or business networks, most individuals in urban North America still consider their mobile devices as one-to-one communication devices. Cicadas seeks to remind passers-by that their mobile devices are actually small computers capable of a range of interactive experiences, and even able to trigger experiences without user intention.

Design Steps, Iteration I:

1. Sensing Range: test sensing equipment in urban/park setting to determine range
of effective detection (range of devices, distances, interference, etc.)

2. Mapping: determine optimum test areas based on high traffic and create sample
measurements for prototype testing

3. Triggering: create hardwire patch between sensor and central controller; interpret
signal for detection strength

4. Displaying: create mechanisms to provide visual and/or audio feedback

5. Activating: create linkage between central controller and brood controller

6. Pattern Responses: develop algorithms to correspond with sensor data

Overall Architecture:

1. User walks through urban/park setting and passively engages in sensor-driven
feedback loop.

2. Multiple locations can be installed along a path, that cause distinct patterns to be displayed. User, if he/she becomes aware of the interaction, can cycle through
the installations to create his/her own series of feedback loops.

Next Iterations:

• Proximity sensors that can detect presence (this data can be compared to EMF
sensors to determine whether a user has a mobile device or not)
• Users can select the kind of feedback loop that is displayed