Luto
Luto is a case study in a concept I explored that I referred to as Data Materialization. Rather than using visuals to appeal to a person’s background or intellect, it taps into their empathy in an attempt to more viscerally express the impact of the data. In Luto’s case, he acts as a metric for air quality. The worse the air is, the sicker he gets, simple as that.
A prototype of Luto displaying the virtual organism and his response to the air reading from his sensor.
The Result of Creative Coding and Physical Computing
He is programmed in Processing and fed data through serial communication with a FC-22 sensor attached to an Arduino Nano. The FC-22 Air quality sensor gives the Arduino an analog value to illustrate the amount of impurities are in the air that is then placed into the processing sketch which interprets that data as a “distortion factor” which in turn establishes the color and the instability of his form on the screen.
Intended as a companion that you can always have with you.
I imagine Luto living on a clip that can be attached to a belt or a bag. By having him live on a carabiner, he can go everywhere you can, breathe the same air you do, and give you the reassurance that you’re where you belong, or the knowledge to begin changing it.