Digital Eskimo turn a reused architect’s desk and two Wii consoles into the world’s coolest online collaboration tool.
December 14th, 2010
Originating in a project with the National Institute of Experimental Arts (NIEA) and debuted at the Hothouse Symposium in July 2010, Digital Eskimo’s Sketch Lab allows ideas to be scribbled and shared visually.
“We wanted to create something that was physical, and which utilised a combination of open source technology and our own custom work,” said David Gravina, Principal of Digital Eskimo. “Something that was really a marriage of design and technology.”
The Sketch Lab was made in collaboration with artist Chris Fox. An old architect’s table was sourced, sculpted and modified; a Perspex screen was inserted into the middle.
An image is projected onto the screen by a mounted projector. A customised pen emitting infrared light allows users to draw on the board, their scribblings picked up by two Wii remotes which then transmit the information back to the unit.
“The original idea,” said Gravina, “was about creating a tool for people to experiment with contentious sites around Sydney. We loaded up the system with several sites and created a drawing tool.”
This first version, dubbed the Urban Sketchlab, was a way to explore creativity and urban space. By drawing over projected images of contentious sites, users engaged with the built environment, communicating their ideas and creating awareness about sustainability issues.
The second incarnation of the Sketch Lab involves visual notetaking, with conference attendees making digital sketch notes of their reflections about a particular speaker and sharing their creations online.
Future possibilities for the Sketch Lab prototype are endless, as the Digital Eskimo team continues to integrate and explore design, open source technology and communal benefit.
“Our model of design is all about collaboration,” said Gravina. “We’re always looking at what the human need is, and how we can design for people.”
Digital Eskimo
digitaleskimo.net
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
How can design empower the individual in a workplace transforming from a place to an activity? Here, Design Director Joel Sampson reveals how prioritising human needs – including agency, privacy, pause and connection – and leveraging responsive spatial solutions like the Herman Miller Bay Work Pod is key to crafting engaging and radically inclusive hybrid environments.
The Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest is officially open. And the long-running competition offers Australian architects, designers and builders the chance to gain global recognition for the most technically resolved, performance-led kitchen projects.
A longstanding partnership turns a historic city into a hub for emerging talent
Gaggenau’s understated appliance fuses a carefully calibrated aesthetic of deliberate subtraction with an intuitive dynamism of culinary fluidity, unveiling a delightfully unrestricted spectrum of high-performing creativity.
From Bosch comes a unique, 2-in-1 cooktop with integrated ventilation – a contemporary kitchen solution designed to fit into kitchens of any size or style.
Italian kitchen appliance company ILVE, have announced their new range of induction cooktops.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
In a market saturated with sameness, Studio P3 set out to raise the bar, creating four refined speculative suites for Mirvac in Sydney, with Milliken flooring playing an essential role in realising a space with broad appeal – all underpinned by a commitment to sustainability.
A major urban renewal project has been proposed for Sydney’s inner harbour, with developer Landream revealing plans for Pyrmont Place precinct designed by BVN.