The+Cabinet

=The Cabinet= = =

The Cabinet involves creating an desk-sized interactive surface that allows a user to use that space input information, mainly visual, and sort through this information in a more involved way. It was an idea developed with designers in mind. The creators considered the fact that designers use a lot of images when they work and right now this is all done on a computer, on a small screen. The creators relied on the fact that designers usually have good spatial memory when thinking about how the information is organized and created the Cabinet for integration into the design process. When not in use, the Cabinet also acts as a viewing device, it shows random images like a slideshow. This was done with the idea of it inspiring other passers-by or the designer him/herself who might not have previously seen a connection between certain images.
 * What it is**



It allows for simple image manipulation such as rotating and enlargement. It also allows a designer to group these images into stacks that can later be retrieved. One very notable thing about the Cabinet is how you can input photos. It is almost like a scanner. You place an item on the Cabinet and press a button and it reproduces everything on the surface of the device which you can later crop and add to your stacks. They call the reproductions "digital shadows". These can be manipulated with a stylus device as well. Another cool feature is that you can actually put items (like a packaging design) or a piece of paper on top of the surface to see how the item might look with a certain image printed on it. This is because the image is projected from above, it is material light.
 * What it does**

[|Video here]

I think this project is particularly interesting because it allows for input for information instead of simply replicating information from elsewhere or providing a set, predetermined source in a new medium. You can have images from another source but you can also create new images. The idea of being able to control how images are connected by making stacks is also a valuable feature as well as the random image viewing because of that sense that it isn't always in your control and you might be inspired because of this. I do think that more features (like being able to use it for something other than images) might be worth it but it's an awesome idea if only for the fact that you don't always need to print (and waste paper) to see how something might look as a hard copy.
 * Analysis**