sandbox – december 2010
‘sandbox’, an interface for capturing and sharing short
audio clips. composed of light-sensitive voice recording
systems buried under the sand, the work encourages
visitors to create and bury messages for others to dig
up and discover.
the main idea was to be able to create rich material that
could store data and become a platform for people to
exchange secrets and ideas anonymously,’ the designers
explain. ‘this project is an example of how natural
materials can become a richer interface for playing,
creating new ways of communication thanks to a simple
interaction.
‘sandbox’ is filled with regular sand but features an
electronic and audio layer underneath, composed of
an arduino microprocessor with a voice memory module.
this allows multiple control points under the sand, with
each including a photocell, LED, microphone, and
speaker. when the point is revealed, the LDR photocell
triggers the recording mechanism if the voice memory
module is empty. if not, it plays the last message
recorded and stored.
