Traditionally, the notion of home crafting connotes the use of "low-tech" materials and techniques; but increasingly, the once-distinct worlds of crafting and computational media have become integrated, to the mutual benefit of both cultures. In this paper, we discuss a wide range of recurring issues in the integration of crafts and computation, drawing upon a variety of related research projects. In particular, we explore the ways in which attention to computational crafts can encourage a productive re-examination of such notions as programming languages, computer architectures, and peripheral devices.
This paper describes our progress in creating a device called a rototack. In its design, the rototack is an example of a computationally-enhanced craft item: a small, robust, inexpensive, and versatile -but also programmablephysical object for use in a variety of educational and home crafting projects. In particular, the tack is a source of rotational motion, suitable for turning light objects or for powering (e.g.) cams, gears, and linkages in complex, userdefined patterns. We describe the engineering decisions and trade-offs involved in creating our current prototype of the tack; discuss the central issues in creating a programming language and environment for the device; and sketch a variety of potential uses to which the tack might be put.
The traditional view of the "home computer" is as a selfcontained appliance: computation, on this view, is something that takes place within a desktop box, and that produces interesting visual effects only on a screen. In this paper, we argue that one can alternatively view "the computer" through its tangible effects on larger settings: that is, the computer can be imagined as the heart of a creative workshop centered within the home or classroom. The advent of accessible fabrication devices, as well as small computers that can be embedded in craft items, permits users to think of the room at large as a place in which computationally-enriched or computationally-designed "exhibits" of various types may be displayed. We illustrate this idea with a variety of projects undertaken within our laboratory.
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