Six Iuav IxD students graduated in 2011, all with full marks. The focus this year was on physical computing. Following a trend started in 2010, three thesis projects were for children: a set of interactive dolls to relieve anxiety in hospitalized children (I Mirabilia; thesis awarded cum laude) and two interactive play tables – one teaching about healthy eating (Briciole), the other about subtractive colour synthesis (Pigmento). The remaining three were for the family and the home: intercommunicating wearables for a mother-to-be and her partner (Aura), a device using game mechanics and social networking to monitor domestic energy consumption (GreenFit), and a mobile phone-based platform for linking domestic possessions into an interactive ‘network of objects’ (SPL/T).
I Mirabilia won first place in the non-browser category in the Adobe Student Achievement Awards; Aura was one of the two runners-up. Papers about both projects have been accepted for AMBIENCE’11 the international conference at Borås in Sweden. Pigmento was invited to show at the National Science Festival in Genoa.
Aura: Communicating wearables for parents-to-be Marco Righetto
Briciole: A table-game for children about healthy eating Maria Gabriella Astolfo
GreenFit: A serious game for sustainability Alessandro Filippi
I Mirabilia: Interactive dolls for hospitalized children Erika Rossi
Pigmento: Learning about colour synthesis Giuseppe Burdo
SPL/T: A social network of things Alberto Moro