 
'Rototack' Links Low-Tech, High-Tech Wolds
One example of that integration is the "rototack," a computationally enhanced tack currently being developed by doctoral candidates Tom Wrensch and Glenn Blauvelt. The rototack may be thought of as a thumbtack containing a tiny computer, a motor, and an axle inside its flat upper portion. A craftsperson should be able to program the device at a desktop machine, writing programs that tell the tack, for example, to turn three times clockwise, then twice counterclockwise, then repeat that pattern forever. Once the tack has been programmed in this way, it can be used in an endless variety of craft projects - powering small gears and linkages, turning wheels and cams, pulling strings or wires. In essence, Eisenberg says, the rototack may be thought of as a general, all-purpose source of programmed rotational motion - something much more versatile and creative than its simple thumbtack-shaped design would suggest - opening up possibilities for new sorts of mechanical and kinetic artwork. In a similar vein, Wrensch and Blauvelt have worked on other types of craft objects as well, designing both a programmable hinge and a programmable ceramic tile. While the idea of blending computers and craft materials is appealing, it also leads to a host of research problems. Wrensch's doctoral thesis, for example, focuses on the programming question: How does a home craftsperson manage to write a computer program for something like a rototack? Wrensch is looking at the task of designing programming environments for craft items like the hinge and tack. Still other research questions waiting on the horizon include the design of larger systems of craft items (such as construction kits of computational pieces that can communicate with each other), as well as new sorts of craft-friendly peripheral devices. Ultimately, the goal of Eisenberg and his colleagues is to allow homecrafters and students to express themselves as freely and powerfully with computers as they do now with string, paper, and clay.  Engineering Home |
The world of homecrafting is a world composed largely of simple, low-tech objects and materials: paper, string, glue, hinges, tacks, and so on. Associate Professor Mike Eisenberg's "Crafts and Computation" group in the Department of Computer Science at CU-Boulder is trying to integrate small, inexpensive computers into that world as well, creating a variety of computationally enhanced craft items that blend the simplicity and usefulness of low-tech materials with the programmability and expressive range of computers.