transitlab

I first saw the friispray system at the MakerFaireUK in Newcastle this year  where they were exhibiting in the same space as me and my Light Responsive Devices. It was great that they were invited to talk at the DIY show and tell at Thinking Digital.

They are building on the wiimote hacks of Johny Chung Lee (johnny lee.net/projects/wii/), to make the prototype electronic grafetti friispray(http://friispray.wordpress.com/).  What is wonderful about this technology it gives to people an intuitive canvas on which to start drawing.   The innovation is modifying a spraycan so that it can be used as an infrared drawing device. This coupled with a rear projection screen, a wiimote , a data projector and some software that they have made produces a cheap whiteboard drawing system.  They have had audiences of all abilities, showing in situations from schools to nightclubs.

One of the amazing opportunities they have had is workshopped this technology with childen with disabilities. These children cannot express themselves using pens and paints. In this instance they made a different infra red stylus that was easy to hold. The no mess/pigment means that Friispray is also applicable to teaching situations where vulnerable people are prevented from using normal pens and paints because of risks to them and others.

 Friispray is an example of open innovation, by publishing the information on the net, they have seeded or inspired other people to ‘go crazy’ with the idea.  For example Derrick Welsh. He has been running a project around sketch messaging, and has been using nokia tablets in collaborative electronic sketching. When he saw friispray at the MakerFaireUK, he ran with the idea, buying a wiimote and hacking a remote control to make novel drawing styluses. Each day his children suggested something else that he should change into a drawing object and he ended up making wonderfull styluses around paint brushes, fishing rods, & childrens toys. Derrick has also worked out how to sketching on his mobile phone using the wiimote.

 I look forward to seeing many more exciting innovatotions coming out of the Jam jar Collective and also  Derrick Welsh.