N Building by Alexander Reeder

http://www.vimeo.com/8468513

N Building is a commercial structure located near Tachikawa station amidst a shopping district. Being a commercial building signs or billboards are typically attached to its facade which we feel undermines the structures’ identity. As a solution we thought to use a QR Code as the facade itself. By reading the QR Code with your mobile device you will be taken to a site which includes up to date shop information. In this manner we envision a cityscape unhindered by ubiquitous signage and also an improvement to the quality and accuracy of the information itself.

I Am Concept Video by Tronic Studio

http://www.vimeo.com/7400277

Tronic recently created a great concept video showing reprogrammable matter. The video is described, “The title comes from the animals’ declaration of who they are. Each animal says, “I AM the elephant” and “I AM the horse” and it’s through language that they are reinforcing their physicality and their place in the world.”

The Origin of Mass by Aleksandar Rodic

http://www.vimeo.com/5010187

The Origin of Mass is an experimental video created as a final project by Aleksandar Rodic for his procedural animation class at Savannah College of Art and Design. It was inspired by demo-scene and sub-atomic particle collision images. The name comes from the Higgs Boson particle which is expected to provide a scientific foundation for the origin of mass in the universe. More info on the website.

Updatable Architecture Concept

Interesting early concept for how users could control objects in their environment. Just imagine changing parameters and watching the architecture update in real-time.

Soft Morphing Blob by iRobot

I was recently at thefirst architecture robotics conference in Orlando and discussing “jamming” prototypes with Cornell phd students. The prototypes I saw were about the size of a quarter and looked quite structural. iRobot is currently developing a soft ball robot that can inflate and move via the “jamming” phenomena. iRobot’s soft, shape-shifting robot blob can roll around and change shape, and it will be able to squeeze through tiny cracks in a wall when the project is finished. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009. More info can be viewed on the IEEE website.

All that is solid melts into the air by Kultnation

http://www.vimeo.com/6504980

Really interesting 3d transformable structure. More information here.

Robotic Furniture by MKare

Interesting robotic furniture concept. mKare is a mobile care unit designed to help seniors who have suffered a stroke and thus have lost mobility on side of their body. This robot helps assist these seniors.

Swarm-like Printing Machines by Mark Bearak

Interesting swarm-like printing machines developed by Mark Bearak at Columbia School of Architecture taught by Francois Roche. Website describing the project can be found here.