There is something mysterious and exciting about walking down a dark narrow library aisle - the stacks closing in over top of you, the dusty smell of aging paper, and the possibility of stumbling upon a book you never even knew existed. This is the experience of silently wandering through countless libraries all over the world. Unfortunately, this experience is also at odds with the fast-paced immediate retrieval experience that is the digital age we find ourselves in currently. Starting your search may be as easy as typing in the broadest definition of the topic, and result in countless digital paths of inquiry - akin to browsing through dusty stacks as organized by Dewey. However, if you know exactly what you are looking for, the ability to narrow down feedback results can be as precise as you can type. Results can be almost immediate - and all from the comfort of your home computer or mobile device. This is the wonder and detachment of the internet and digital information.
The new Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago has bridged the gap between physical records and digital accessibility with it's "Automated Storage and Retrieval System" that "takes inspiration from commercial inventory techniques". The books and manuscripts are stored in special preservation-condition bins and bar-coded so that the system knows exactly where to send it's robotic retrieval arms for delivery. The user short-circuits the traditional method of library searching, and instead, is greeted by the worlds largest vending machine. Instead of Honeybuns and Cheetos's, pressing B5 will bring you Shakespeare and Darwin.
The technology is indeed highly sophisticated and brings a new level of organization and ease to a process once fraught with uncertainty and confusion. The search for information has become more direct and efficient, however, gone are the days of exploration and tangential discoveries that often lead to new avenues of research. The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library uses an online catalog that allows users to digitally "search" the library holdings. It would be interesting to know if a certain amount of "randomness" could be built into this search so users are given several options to branch out their search. The catalog could have a built-in "I'm Feeling Lucky" function similar to Google's Search Engine, or even a recommendation function similar to Amazon's "User Who Searched for This Product Also Searched For..."
Straight out of The Jetsons comes Alton Lane, a "premium custom clothing" maker in New York City that provides custom suit fitting - by robots. Stepping inside what looks to be a blacked out phone booth, digital scanning technology initially developed for airport security surveys the human topography and creates a virtual avatar complete with all requisite measurements. Sadly, small scurrying nano-bots don't appear to assemble the suit on-person, rather the measurements are passed on to human tailors in meat-space who custom cut and tailor the suit. However, all irony is not lost, as Alton Lane is located within the famous Flatiron Building - one of the most progressive buildings of its time. Seen on UrbanDaddy. Jetsons imave via Dental Collectibes Flatiron image via SkyscraperCity.
When large schools of fish travel through the water, the body operates with three simple rules of movement; collision avoidance, side-by-side locomotion, and distance metering. The school of fish, sometimes numbering into the thousands, is able to act as one unit because each individual fish is able to maneuver through the water in any direction in close proximity to it's neighbor without colliding. Nissan is using this natural ability of individuals safely navigating within a group as a model for a next-generation vehicle communication and movement system. According to Nissan:
"fish demonstrate extraordinary "anti-collision" abilities, navigating instinctively and intelligently through challenging terrain by detecting and avoiding obstacles"
Enter the EPORO. Well, actually, enter a lot of EPORO. As they move around, the small group of robots are able to communicate with each other based on the three simple rules of the school; collision avoidance, side-by-side locomotion, and distance metering. Nissan hopes that in the future, this communication based behavior could lead to more efficient and safe vehicular travel in heavy traffic situations. The application may also have potential in other industries such as urban design and development, weather information monitoring, and disaster relief response. Previously disparate objects, areas, and populations could become communicative networks that respond in real time with their environs and with each other. In their 1971 project entitled Truckstop Network, the ever-experimental information nomads, Ant Farm, proposed a system of user-feedback devices connected across the interstate system of the US. The network of video screens and communication devices envisioned the users across the system interacting and responding to concurrent events taking place at the other truckstop locations. Large screens would project live video feeds, and continuously updated information boards would list ride information, events, and news. Here, the infrastructure itself, though 'virtual', serves as the empowering element in the system rather than occupying a typical subserviant role based on pure function. EPORO seen on Inhabitat. Images via Nissan. Ant Farm Media Van image via CCA MEDIA Lab.
As an addition to an existing winery, the Gantenbein Winery in Flasch Switzerland by Bearth & Deplazes Architekten, maintains the simple vernacular feel of the region, but adds a textured layer of sophistication to the facade. Structurally, the building is a concrete frame with infilled brick. The double wythe brick skin was designed with the help of Gramazio and Kohler who used a computer generated patterning system and robotic production unit to individually stack and rotate each brick within the wall. Each infill panel was constructed off-site within a precast concrete panel and inserted into the super-structure on site. The resultant effect, when viewed from afar, is a facade composed of three-dimensional bubbles or bunches of grapes. On the interior, the sunlight is diffused into a soft glow that reveals the oversized exterior pattern. Seen on A Daily Dose of Architecture.
just as it is difficult to imagine getting work done without email, finding your way around town without google maps is risky, at best. the old-fashioned way of navigation, interaction with the urban fabric and local populace, has been relegated to several mouse-clicks and a printed screen-shot. asking for directions is for old people. and robots. old people and robots. a team of german scientists at the technical university of munich have programmed a robot to navigate an urban area to a destination one and a half kilometers away through human interaction. nicknamed ACE, for Autonomous City Explorer, the robot approaches a human target and subsequently displays a message on it's screen asking the human if it would like to help. If the passer-by chooses to help, the robot vocalizes it's current position and destination, and asks for directions to it's endpoint. the robot is programmed to scan the stance of the human target and recognize pointing and gestures. continuing it's data collection, the robot requests wayfinding tips through identification of landmarks and map input. as ACE continues to collect and analyze the data in it's system, the robot and generates a 3-dimensional real-time map of information.
The large, colorful robot is so big it could be a building. But it's not. Not really. It looks like it could be an AT-AT's distant, cheery relative that chases houses instead of Ewoks. There are people inside of it, probably. Either working for it, operating it's movements, or maybe inhabiting it, just enjoying the view. It happily chomps through house after house. Walking spirally ever forward, it leaves nothing behind it but great trails of green. Trees. Grass. Maybe a picnic or two. Andrew Maynard's Suburb Eating Robot is an attempt to imagine a building, albeit mostly robot, contest a built environment deemed unacceptable. That Maynard is an architect in Melbourne, Australia, where suburbs have recently begun to expand into the surrounding areas, might come as no surprise. And whether one is fighting sprawl with giant, colorful robots, generating energy to return to the grid, or just plotting to take over the world, the signs are clear! Buildings can be more than just building. Technology, research, and advanced (and simple) construction techniques allow today's buidings to confront today's problems.
There is something mysterious and exciting about walking down a dark narrow library aisle - the stacks closing in over top of you, the dusty smell of aging paper, and the possibility of stumbling upon a book you never even knew existed. This is the experience of silently wandering through countless libraries all over the world. Unfortunately, this experience is also at odds with the fast-paced immediate retrieval experience that is the digital age we find ourselves in currently. Starting your search may be as easy as typing in the broadest definition of the topic, and result in countless digital paths of inquiry - akin to browsing through dusty stacks as organized by Dewey. However, if you know exactly what you are looking for, the ability to narrow down feedback results can be as precise as you can type. Results can be almost immediate - and all from the comfort of your home computer or mobile device. This is the wonder and detachment of the internet and digital information.
