What

When in Dome is a 4.2m geodesic dome covered with 4378 LEDs. The LEDs are all individually mapped and addressable. They are controlled by Fadecandy and Processing on a Windows desktop. A Kinect is attached to one of the struts of the dome, so movement inside the dome can be tracked and people can interact with the lights.

Why

I'm exploring group experience through shared interaction. I like to make interfaces that lots of people can use at one time. The LED surface of the dome makes a suitable output for a multi-user interface because it's huge, so lots of people can see it. The dome also creates a cosy, spherical space, which encourages people to turn in towards each other. The Kinect works great as a multi-user input because people can move around and affect the depth field at the same time, the only limit is how many people can fit into the space together.

I'm continuously developing new methods of interaction for When in Dome, to see what effect different input methods have, and what works well for different groups of people. I'm particularly keen to see what interfaces encourage connection amongst the friends and strangers inside the dome, and what makes the shared experience feel meaningful and worthwhile.

Where

I designed and built When in Dome as the final project for my Master's, which was Design for Performance and Interaction at the Interactive Architecture Lab, The Bartlett, UCL.

How

Some of the technologies and tools used:

Fadecandy

Processing

Kinect (I got mine from eBay)

Some of the equipment used:

Buildwithhubs hub kit

Treated sawn timber for dome struts

4mm poplar plywood

White diffusion fabric

Black fabric

Aluminium flat bar

Wago connectors

12awg and 24awg cable

5v 30A power supplies

Foam flooring

Jst connectors

Capacitors

Let's go!

There are lots of components to this project which I will talk through, I hope you find something useful and interesting inside!