Electroactive polymers (EAP) are a promising material for shape changing interfaces, soft robotics and other novel design explorations. However, the uptake of EAP prototyping in design, art and architecture has been slow due to limited commercial availability, challenging high voltage electronics and lack of simple fabrication techniques. This paper introduces DIY tools for building and activating EAP prototypes, together with design methods for making novel shape-changing surfaces and structures, outside of material science labs. We present iterations of our methods and tools, their use and evaluation in participatory workshops and public installations and how they affect the design outcomes. We discuss unique aesthetic and interactive experiences enabled by the organic and subtle movement of semi-transparent EAP membranes. Finally, we summarise the potential of design tools and methods to facilitate increased exploration of interactive EAP prototypes and outline future steps.

In this paper, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of creating responsive environments with Electroactive Polymers (EAPs). Our previous research on tools and methods for EAPs enabled us to develop two public installations: SOLO and Electric Animal Plant. Going beyond the demonstration of EAPs, these projects explore the aesthetics and interactivity of such shape-changing materials. We explain actuating and sensing capabilities of EAPs in these works, and we reflect on the response of the participants to the installations.

We present the design approach and evaluation of our prototype called "Ranger". Ranger is a robotic toy box that aims to motivate young children to tidy up their room. We evaluated Ranger in 14 families with 31 children (2-10 years) using the Wizard-of-Oz technique. This case study explores two different robot behaviors (proactive vs. reactive) and their impact on children's interaction with the robot and the tidying behavior. The analysis of the video recorded scenarios shows that the proactive robot tended to encourage more playful and explorative behavior in children, whereas the reactive robot triggered more tidying behavior. Our findings hold implications for the design of interactive robots for children, and may also serve as an example of evaluating an early version of a prototype in a real-world setting.

This paper reports on emotions felt by users manipulating a computationally and acoustically augmented artifact. Prior studies have highlighted systematic relationships between acoustic features and emotions felt when individuals are passively listening to sounds. However, during interaction with real or computationally augmented artifacts, acoustic feedback results from users' active manipulation of the artifact. In such a setting, both sound and manipulation can contribute to the emotions that are elicited. We report on a set of experimental studies that examined the respective roles of sound and manipulation in eliciting emotions from users. The results show that, while the difficulty of the manipulation task predominated, the acoustical qualities of the sounds also influenced the feelings reported by participants. When the sounds were embedded in an interface, their pleasantness primarily influenced the valence of the users' feelings. However, the results also suggested that pleasant sounds made the task slightly easier, and left the users feeling more in control. The results of these studies provide guidelines for the measurement and design of affective aspects of sound in computationally augmented artifacts and interfaces.

An interactive system collects noise from a public place and transforms it into content for a public orchestration: the noise is split in specific sounds which are recomposed through sonic interface in a new soundscape. The SoundCam is the most visible part of the Recycling Soundscapes system. It rotates scanning a public space and gives the possibility to spy and to record audio details and voices in the space, even at the big distance. Paradoxically the people in the context involuntary become the center of auditory attention, while the importance of spy fades as the voices start coming out from Sonic Bowls. The Sonic Bowls are instruments that invite passers-by to play with sounds coming from their environment: birds, footsteps, voices. These are collaboratively composed into a new soundscape through SonicBowl interface. The voices are played back randomly as surprise voice messages and build the sound memory of the place. http://www.interaction-ivrea.it/theses/2003-04/architectureofsubtraction/ReSound.htm