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Physical computing involves interactive systems that can sense and respond to the world around them.[clarification needed] While this definition is broad enough to encompass systems such as smart automotive trafficcontrol systems or factoryautomation processes, it is not commonly used to describe them. In a broader sense, physical computing is a creative framework for understanding human beings' relationship to thedigital world. In practical use, the term most often describes handmade art, design orDIY hobby projects that usesensors andmicrocontrollers to translate analog input to asoftware system, and/or controlelectro-mechanical devices such asmotors,servos,lighting or other hardware.
Physical computing intersects the range of activities often referred to in academia and industry as electrical engineering,mechatronics, robotics, computer science, and especiallyembedded development.
Physical computing is used in a wide variety of domains and applications. The most commonly known examples of physical computing areArduino andRaspberry Pi. These examples allow you to program systems in order to interact with the real world, showing the relationship between the physical and digital world.[1]
Commercial implementations range from consumer devices such as the SonyEyetoy or games such asDance Dance Revolution to more esoteric and pragmatic uses includingmachine vision utilized in the automation of quality inspection along a factoryassembly line.Exergaming, such as Nintendo'sWii Fit, can be considered a form of physical computing. Other implementations of physical computing includevoice recognition, which senses and interprets sound waves via microphones or other sound-wave sensing devices, andcomputer vision, which applies algorithms to a rich stream ofvideo data typically sensed by some form of camera.Haptic interfaces are also an example of physical computing, though in this case the computer isgenerating the physical stimulus as opposed tosensing it. Bothmotion capture andgesture recognition are fields that rely on computer vision to work their magic. Today, physical computing is being used for smart watches, drones, thermostats, and washing machines. Now, with the recent rise ofartificial intelligence, robots are all being created through physical computing.
Physical computing can also describe the fabrication and use of custom sensors or collectors for scientific experiments, though the term is rarely used to describe them as such. An example of physical computing modeling is theIllustris project, which attempts to precisely simulate theevolution of the universe from theBig Bang to the present day,13.8 billion years later.[2][3]
In the art world, projects that implement physical computing include the work ofScott Snibbe,Daniel Rozin,Rafael Lozano-Hemmer,Jonah Brucker-Cohen, andCamille Utterback.
The advantage of physical computing in education has been reflected in diverse informal learning environments. TheExploratorium, a pioneer ininquiry based learning, developed some of the earliest interactive hardware involving computers, and continues to include more and more examples of physical computing andtangible interfaces as associated technologies progress.
Studies show a project on physical computing results in statistically significant improvements in students' computational thinking skills. This was also done as an effort to enlarge student interest in physical computing, as it has ever expanding real life implications.[4]
For K-12 students,Scratch andMIT app inventor often act as gateways to more advanced platforms. These platforms use block-based coding to allow teens to interact with the digital world much more than other platforms. Organizations likeCode.org created a program called "Hour of Code" in an attempt to give access to computing to students worldwide.
Prototyping plays an important role in Physical computing.Arduino andAdafruit.io are relatively low-cost yet powerful methods of physical computing. Boards are often sold asDIY hardware, not for professional engineers, allowing for certain methods of physical computing to be accessible to anyone. With these platforms, users can build smart home devices with sensors, send data to the cloud and visualize information on the platforms dashboard. These platforms often rely onend-user development to function, making physical computing have more real-world implications and showing its versatility.[5]
Physical computing practices also exist in the product and interaction design sphere, where hand-builtembedded systems are sometimes used to rapidly prototype new digital product concepts in a cost-efficient way. Firms such asIDEO andTeague are known to approachproduct design in this way.
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