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Pedro Oliveira
pedro.itp(at)nyu.edu
Office hours
NYU ITP, Fall 2023
TUE 3:20-5:50pm
All computing is physical. We work with computational systems by taking action with our bodies, on devices. The construction of computing devices, and their use, consumes raw materials and energy as well. In short, the virtual always has physical consequences.
This course is about how to design those devices for our bodies. Physical Computing is an approach to learning how humans communicate through computers that starts by considering how humans express themselves physically. In this course, we take the human body as a given, and attempt to design computing applications within the limits of its expression.
To realize this goal, you’ll learn how a computer converts the changes in energy given off by our bodies (in the form of sound, light, motion, and other forms) into changing electronic signals that it can read and interpret. You’ll learn about the sensors that do this, and about simple computers called micro-controllers that read sensors and convert their output into data. Finally, you’ll learn how micro-controllers communicate with other computers.
To learn this, you’ll watch people and build devices. You will spend a lot of time building circuits, soldering, writing programs, building structures to hold sensors and controls, and figuring out how best to make all of these things relate to a person’s body.
The assignments in this class consist of weekly lab assignments throughout the semester; readings, discussion, and class participation; and two project assignments in which you’ll build interactive devices.
It is expected that you will spend 6 to 8 hours a week on the class outside of class itself. This will include doing the labs, reviewing material, reading, watching videos, and learning about physical computing. Please budget your time accordingly.
Assessment
50% Project assignments.
30% Lab work and in-class participation.
20% Blog & Documentation.
The most important thing you can do is arrive to each class on time and be prepared to actively participate, with questions, stories of setbacks or successes you encountered in the lab, and interesting material and events related to pcomp you’ve found. Each week, you should put in adequate time to digest and then apply the material. When possible, work with your peers, whether in person or online. It’s useful to have access to people tackling the same topics, to second-years, residents, and full-time faculty. Our time together each week, and your access to each other is what distinguishes studying physical computing at ITP from, say, just reading the internet.
Lab Assignments
There are lab assignments for most weeks of the semester. These are practical exercises that will help you to learn the technical material of the class. Each week you should review the topic notes or videos explaining that week’s materials, then do the labs, and write about your progress, your failures, and your questions. Class time most weeks will start with your questions and progress from the labs.
Project Assignments
You’ll complete three project assignments in this class. The briefs for these are on the assignments page. The material in the labs will provide the techniques you need, and the class discussion will help you to come up with the ideas for each of these. Some of these will be group assignments. You’ll show your project assignments in class in weeks 5, 10, and 14. You will be expected to document your projects on your blog as well.
Documentation
Document your progress in the class online in a regular blog as you go. At a minimum, you should summarize any insights and questions you have from each week’s lab assignments, and document your production projects and technical research thoroughly. You can find guidelines for good documentation, and several examples, on the Journals & Documentation page.
Readings
Topic notes to be covered each week are linked on that week’s class page. There are videos that demonstrate the material as well. The videos cover the same material as the written notes, so you can learn from whichever form you find most useful. Read each week’s material before class, do the labs, and prepare questions.
You’ll also be assigned some short readings to generate discussion about physical interaction design, application ideas, and other topics. These provide context and background inspiration. There is no specific assignment for these, but they will likely come up as references in the class discussion.
A longer list of both technical and conceptual source material can be found on this link
Participation & Attendance
This class will be highly participatory. You are expected to contribute to discussions, follow the Labs, build the circuits, and otherwise fully participate in class.
The most valuable thing we can do when we are in a class meeting together is to discuss and practice the subject that you’re learning. Any “lecture” material will be assigned as reading or video review, not delivered in class, so that we can use class time to discuss. Come prepared, having read the assigned material and done the assigned exercises. Showing up on time, engaging in the class discussion, turning in assignments on time, and offering support to your classmates through advice and critique is a major part of your success in this class.
If you’re going to be late or absent, please email your instructor in advance. If you have an emergency, please let your instructor know as soon as you can.
More than one unexcused absence will result in a failing grade. Arriving to two classes more than 15 minutes late counts as an absence. Please notify me as early as possible if you are unable to come to class. Assigments should be posted online 24h before the class.
Please see ITP's statement on Pass/Fail which states that a "Pass" is equivalent to an "A" or a "B" while anything less would be considered a "Fail".
Conduct
This class meets every TUE from 3:20pm to 5:50pm.
Please be punctual and respectful. Laptops must be closed while fellow classmates are presenting work - Supporting your classmates through feedback on their work is an important part of the class, and an important part of your participation grade. Please be respectful with each other.
The field of Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Technology in general, has traditionally presented outdated, archaic, problematic, ableist, and racist language. This class will make use of inclusive and gender-neutral terminology. Suggestions/Alternatives
This class is a harassment-free, and inclusive space for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, physical appearance, age, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, national origin, or religion — and not limited to these aspects. ITP/IMA - Code of Conduct
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images composed by someone else.
The core of the educational experience at the Tisch School of the Arts is the creation of original academic and artistic work by students for the critical review of faculty members. It is therefore of the utmost importance that students at all times provide their instructors with an accurate sense of their current abilities and knowledge in order to receive appropriate constructive criticism and advice. Any attempt to evade that essential, transparent transaction between instructor and student through plagiarism or cheating is educationally self-defeating and a grave violation of Tisch School of the Arts community standards. For all the details on plagiarism, please refer to page 10 of the Tisch School of the Arts, Policies and Procedures Handbook, which can be found online at: http://students.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html
Please feel free to make suggestions to your instructor about ways in which this class could become more accessible to you. Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980 for further information.
Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. If you experience any health or mental health issues during this course, we encourage you to utilize the support services of the 24/7 NYU Wellness Exchange 212-443-9999. Also, all students who may require an academic accommodation due to a qualified disability, physical or mental, please register with the Moses Center 212-998-4980. Please let your instructor know if you need help connecting to these resources.
Laptops will be an essential part of the course and may be used in class during workshops and for taking notes in lecture. The quality of the class depends in large part on the quality of your attention and active participation. Please refrain from checking email, social media and extracurricular activities. Laptops must be closed during class discussions and student presentations. Phone use in class is strictly prohibited unless directly related to a presentation of your own work or if you are asked to do so as part of the curriculum.
This is a safe space where everyone is welcome to participate, learn and share. Students are expected to respect each other's privacy, both online and in person. While taking this class students, instructors and guests agree to not record, capture, or take snapshots, unless previously agreed upon. Recordings will be made for accommodation purposes only and will not be published online or shared otherwise.