VISION

    The Electronic Lens explores and creates new paradigms of civic ubiquitous networking with mobile technologies.

We think of Electronic Lens as something of a viewfinder. Using a motion that is already familiar (think point and shoot camera phones), the citizen can use the eLens to gather information about physical objects and places.

    The eLens matches electronic information with the physical environment in an innovative way.  For example, eLens users can post lasting messages in physical locations, tag buildings and places, or create social networks based on interest and social affinities. eLens interactions combine the physical environment with formal and institutional information and the annotations from users’ personal experiences.

    Ultimately the eLens enhances the value of the city for its citizens by making their environments more accessible, more culturally vibrant, more socially just.      The eLens fosters communication among people and between institutions; as a result citizens are now better able to navigate the social, institutional and physical urban space.

OVER VIEW

    The eLens has been conceived in a design workshop lead by prof. William J. Mitchell and Federico Casalegno at the MIT Media Lab, 2005 – 2006.

During this workshop we designed, implemented, and tested in Manresa, Spain, a prototype eLens that provides pedestrians with immediate, on-the-spot, geographically and temporally contextualized information.

    The eLens is implemented on a mobile phone platform with very simple, intuitive interface, and incorporates location and orientation awareness.

During the workshop, we have explored not only challenging technological and interface design issues, but also conceptual ideas concerning the electronically augmented pedestrian and related social and cultural issues.

TECHNOLOGY

   

    We are developing e-Lens for use with the Motorola A1000. The A1000 uses the Symbian operating system and has an assisted global positioning system (A-GPS), a 1.2 mega-pixel camera, a separate video conferencing camera, a large 208x320 color touch screen, 3G communications (~300 kbps down / ~100 kbps up in Barcelona), and lots of storage on its transflash (>= 256 MB).

    The ultimate decision about how to design eLens technology depended on five elements: where you are, what you’re looking at, who you’re interacting with, how you’re communicating, and what information you’re exchanging. The five technologies employed on the e-Lens include, RadioActive, Chaperon, D-touch, Constellation and xLink.

Class Instructors:

William J. Mitchell, Federico Casalegno , Ph.D.

Technical Development Team:

Aaron Zinman, Enrico Costanza, Jie-Eun Hwang, Jae-woo Chung,

Jonathan Gips, Miguel Menchu Luarte, Mirya Leinss, Sajid Sadi, Tad Hirsch

Semester I participants in eLens vision and development:

Allison Novak , Anne Dodge, Ommed Sathe, Raul David Poblano,

Stephanie Groll, Vanessa Bertozzi, Wooyoung Kimm