Lab+7

__Physical Computing, Tangible Bits, and Different Prototype Methods for Authoring Devices__
Physical computing is basically about people communicating. It is the relationship between technology and human-beings.
 * Question 1: ** Write four paragraphs to define the term 'physical computing'.
 * Answer:

Physical computing means building physical systems, using software and hardware, that senses and controls the physical world. It allows you to go out and create a conversation between the physical world (real) and the computer world (virtual).

The youtube video demonstrating how a person can go out and take images and come back and manipulate them is an excellent example of physical computing. Physical computing enables you to move images and create things that you create in your mind. ** Physical computing is a hands-on approach. You need to spend a lot of time building circuits and such to hold sensors and controls. You also need to learn how computers convert the energy that our bodies give off.

** Question 2: ** Here are two links to videos describing new authoring devices for prototyping, which include software and technical information. Write two paragraphs each describing their prototyping methods, and describing what they are enabled to do.

//d.tools: Reflective Physical Prototyping//
 * Answer:
 * ** ** d.tools is the first system to support designing analyzing and testing. ** ** It is a reflexive physical prototyping tool for physical user interfaces. It is a hardware and software system that allows designers to prototype the form and the interaction model.

Designers place physical controllers, such as buttons and sliders, sensors, and output devices directly to form the prototypes. d.tools have been used to re-create existing devices. ** ** Exemplar was designed to communicate with d.tools. It explores the interactions through physical sensors. "It allows users to 'design by example,' wherein he or she demonstrates a sensor-based interaciton, which is then reviewed and edits a visual representation of the action."
 * //Exemplar: Authoring Sensor-based Interactions by Demonstration//

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