Christian Zöllner – Project/Installation: SMSlingshot

Project/Installation: SMSlingshot
Christian Zöllner

Sun 27th 4.40pm – 5pm
Open Platform Stage & Open Space 3

The SMSlingshot is a truely tangible interaction device for linking digital data with real urban space. Because of the more and more increasing digitalisation of urban environment the need of an accessible intervention device is obvious and necessary. The wish and habit to comment the surrounding world is an ancient still vivant phenomena we try to preserve. With the SMSlingshot text messages can be typed on a phone-sized wooden keypad which is also integrated in an also wooden slingshot. After the message is finished, the user can aim on a media facade and „send“ the message straight to the laser-targeted point. It will then appear as a coloured pixeled splash with the message written within. The text message will be real time twittered as well. By mashing up the way of writing SMS and shooting stones with a slingshot we approach a complete „new“ way of spreading information in urban areas.

We already installed SMSslingshot several times, a. o. for the media facade festival Berlin in 2008. Each time we insisted on embodiment, whole body interactions. SMSlingshot is truly independent of any wires, sensors and external power supply. The SMSlingshot is connected to a computer via an ultrahigh frequency radio and works as an embedded system. It only needs a projector or a digital signage hack to project the splats onto the façade. The position recognition itself is done by using GRL’s Laser Tag System. The program uses a modified Playstation 2 camera to recognize the position of the laser beam. The integrated UDP interface allows our VR/Urban application to get the coordinates from the Laser Tag Application and use them for our positioning. This system is easily setup, since only one PC or Laptop is needed. Future developments will aim at creating multiple SMSlingshots. Also a redesign of the slingshot casing is needed, because currently batteries can only be changed if one disassembles the SMSlingshot.

Image: Christian Zöllner