Meaningful Digital Things
sprinkled with a pinch of creativity

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About the Media Innovation Studio

The University of Central Lancashire’s School of Journalism and Media established the Media Innovation Studio in 2012. The Studio was set up as a research centre and learning lab. Our staff are engaged in a broad range of media activities spanning community and industry media research, progressive digital teaching and developing new technology.

The Media Innovation Studio operates in the liminal spaces beyond and between the boundaries of traditional disciplines, bringing together areas of research where there are often no obvious connections. The Studio’s research has a social focus driven by asking the sort of questions whose answers create impact through meaningful new opportunities and enriched life experiences.

We generate new knowledge through the creation of disruptive technologies with some of the team developing web connected objects, wearable technology and tangible interfaces whilst others explore data, drones and digital content creation.

Media Innovation Studio

What we do

Our research delivers insight and innovation around the means and processes we use to share information: our technology and media. It’s underpinned by a passionate belief that through innovative thinking we can achieve research excellence delivering real world impact and shaping policy.

How we work

Our relationships with both local communities and international industry partners help us to see the big picture. Our studio at the University of Central Lancashire, UK is a home for world class creative, collaboration; a place to share skills, knowledge and experience across disciplines.

Our impact

Together we create meaningful new opportunities and experiences for communities that disrupt, engage, entertain, inform, empower and create lasting change.

View works

Partners

Academic

We work with a global network of academic partners ranging from the University of Surrey’s Digital World Research Centre, University of Lancaster and University of Lincoln, Kingston University, University of Northumbria, University of Edinburgh, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Cardiff to partners across the globe, including the Pontificia Unversidae Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) in Brazil, and the University of Tampere.

Industry

We have extensive links to a range of industry organisations and associations. These include the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers and their Global Alliance of Media Innovaiton, international, national and regional news media publishers such as the BBC, Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press, Haymarket Media and journalism.co.uk. We also collaborate with media labs such as Oeust Medialab, Media Lab Bayern and the Finish Institute of Technology (VTT).

Community

Our research also has a number of community partners and collaborators. We have worked wth Open Society Foundations, Punchdrunk Theatrical Experiences, Preston’s Harris Museum, Wigan S.T.E.A.M. and local community radio station Preston FM. We also regularly work with local schools, colleges and members of the local community around Preston. Many of our projects involve members of the public as users, testers or community journalists.

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Projects

Sound of Colour

<h3>Sound of Colour</h3>
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<div class="two-thirds"><iframe  id="_ytid_46518" width="600" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uUAkOG07gjs?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&modestbranding=0&rel=1&showinfo=1&fs=1&theme=dark&color=red&autohide=2&controls=2&playsinline=0&" class="__youtube_prefs__" title="YouTube player"  allowfullscreen data-no-lazy="1" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=""></iframe></div>
<div class="one-third">The Sound of Colour is an interactive musical installation, comprised of a camera based MAX/MSP patch, feeding MIDI information into several different sampler instruments within Ableton Live Suite 9. A bespoke table top surface creates a blank canvas for multi coloured balls acting as physical instruments to compose music. Surrounding the table with guttering provides storage and safe keeping of the balls, enhancing the experience and keeping the flow of the musical process steady. The decision to use soft, playful and brightly coloured balls was adopted as they are easy to move, throw, spin and bounce across the table top surface, while also being attractive to children.</div>
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NewsThings

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<h3>NewsThings</h3>
<p>NewsThings combines news, information, ambient design approaches and the Internet of Things (IoT) to explore how people engage and interact with co-designed connected objects.</p>
<p>Partners include the Media Innovation Studio, Trinity Mirror Regionals and Thomas Buchanan creative agency. The project places users at the centre of the innovation process and creates physical-digital prototypes that convey news and editorial content, which will be placed in people’s homes or public spaces.</p>
<p>NewsThings also examines IoT infrastructure and examines how IoT-driven data could benefit news publishers, how new content management systems can power connected objects and the commercial opportunities that NewsThings create.</p>
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<div class="two-thirds"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4253 size-large" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_9564-small-630x420.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="420" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_9564-small-630x420.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_9564-small-300x200.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_9564-small-768x512.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_9564-small-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" /> </div>
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Makerspace

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<div class="two-thirds">The Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston is about to open a MakerSpace. Developed in partnership with the Media Innovation Studio and Design Research North at UCLan. The Harris MakerSpace marks the beginning of a new phase in the evolution of one of Preston’s most significant cultural institutions as plans for its ‘reimagining’ emerge.</p>
<p>Makerspaces combine manufacturing equipment, community, and education for the purposes of enabling community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works, that wouldn’t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone. The Harris MakerSpace is no different.</p>
<a href="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/the-new-industrial-revolution/" class="g-btn color_primary size_small"><i class="fa fa-cog"></i><span>Find our more</span></a>
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<p><img class="alignleft wp-image-3764 size-medium" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-2-300x169.jpg" alt="MakerSpace 2" width="300" height="169" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-2-300x169.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-2-768x432.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-2-630x354.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-2-600x338.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p><img class="wp-image-3763 size-medium alignnone" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-1-300x169.jpg" alt="MakerSpace 1" width="300" height="169" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-1-300x169.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-1-768x432.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-1-630x354.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MakerSpace-1-600x337.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
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Rare Occurrence

<p><img class="alignleft wp-image-3625 size-large" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/image3-630x420.jpg" alt="image3" width="630" height="420" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/image3-630x420.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/image3-300x200.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/image3-768x513.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/image3-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" /><br />
Our research adopts a content and design approach that is a counterpoint to the always-on, constantly-connected reality of news and information in the digital age. In designing news media IoT objects, our prototypes explore our relationships with internet-connected objects that may not deliver media content upon each and every interaction. Informed by our previous research and industry work, our approach explores internet-connected objects that are built upon technology that is inconspicuous, unobtrusive and ambient. For Rare Occurrence it was fundamental that objects weren’t ‘shouting’ for user attention, and this required a design approach that understood user behaviour and routine, and establishing how a new type of object would fit with this.</p>
<p>The family of Rare Occurrence has begun to answer these questions. They explore simple yet unfamiliar interactions that require little learning but provoke new reactions and emotions from the user. The object aesthetic is simple, as is the animation and behaviour of the anthropomorphic character.</p>
<p><img class="wp-image-3619 size-large alignright" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/snow-day-630x354.jpg" alt="snow day" width="630" height="354" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/snow-day-630x354.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/snow-day-300x169.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/snow-day-768x432.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/snow-day-600x337.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Running side-by-side with the interface development, we also explore how content can be adapted. This approach focusses on two distinct areas: offer control for navigating content to users (and thus subverting the more traditional ‘push’ of traditional media). One approach is to invert this push, to pull, and allow IoT devices to transmit media that is only focussed and relevant to the user. Based on predefined criteria that allow the object to function in the ‘background’, its only interaction is to activate content. An alternative approach is to deconstruct news and information to raw component parts, and use objects to convey a meaning or message. For example, an object’s interactivity (via a movement or other signifier) would not have meaning unless a user was aware of the object’s role, purpose and functionality.</p>
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homing

<p><img src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1ed5f7d8-aaa8-4ec0-ba16-01acdf45b8be-630x420.png" alt="1ed5f7d8-aaa8-4ec0-ba16-01acdf45b8be" width="630" height="420" class="alignleft size-large wp-image-3353" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1ed5f7d8-aaa8-4ec0-ba16-01acdf45b8be-630x420.png 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1ed5f7d8-aaa8-4ec0-ba16-01acdf45b8be-300x200.png 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1ed5f7d8-aaa8-4ec0-ba16-01acdf45b8be-600x400.png 600w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1ed5f7d8-aaa8-4ec0-ba16-01acdf45b8be.png 640w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Homing, a new interactive sound art work created by artists Jen Southern and Sam Thulin with the Media Innovation Studio at University of Central Lancashire. Based on the original letters of soldiers from the trenches of WW1, Homing uses sound to make connections at a distance; between presence and absence, people and place, displacement and home.</p>
<p>At the Roll of Honour, a sound composition from the cemeteries at the Somme can be heard, with all the sensory qualities of the local conditions; wind, rain, whistling, stonework. Out on the Flag Market, these sounds give way to fragments of stories from the men in the trenches.</p>
<p>Approaching the Cenotaph, the soldiers’ words are disrupted by ever intensifying GPS interference. This distant, targeting technology of modern day warfare, creates a sonic fog through which individual voices can no longer be heard, reflecting the difficulty of communication through the constant battle between signal and noise.</p>
<p>Homing is a special commission  by In Certain Places and Preston Remembers, developed with the support of the Lancashire Infantry Museum, Harris Museum & Art Gallery,  Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts and the Centre for Mobilities Research at the University of Lancaster.</p>

littleBits

<p><img class="size-large wp-image-3051 alignleft" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20151220105628_IMG_0538-copy-630x569.jpg" alt="20151220105628_IMG_0538 copy" width="630" height="569" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20151220105628_IMG_0538-copy-630x569.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20151220105628_IMG_0538-copy-300x271.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20151220105628_IMG_0538-copy-768x694.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20151220105628_IMG_0538-copy-443x400.jpg 443w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20151220105628_IMG_0538-copy.jpg 1416w" sizes="(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" /> As we experiment with different technologies and platforms, we have noticed a gap in the market for a physical platform to enable children to combine and explore digital creativity, design and technology. That’s why we love littlebits. With its block-based nature somewhat similar to LEGO, littleBits is a ‘snap together’ platform of electronic building blocks. It’s the perfect platform to engage engineers, artists and designers. Alongside their extensive library of electronic blocks, littleBits provide recipes to introduce make culture and their open source approach means that creators can develop their own ‘bits’.</p>
<p>The lightweight nature of the bits means it is easy combine them with cardboard, plastic and paper to hack together prototypes so kids can then start to understand about the objects around them from how a lamp works to how a house alarm systems work.</p>
<p>Since getting our hands on the kits and becoming part of the littleBits chapter worldwide programme, we have hosted a number of workshops providing a hands-on experience to children and University students. We also practice what we preach, experimenting with littlebits in the studio. Our first project was to monitor the number of coffees we drink, we use the littleBits platform to count this which pushes the data to the cloud and becomes part of the ‘Studio Data’ dashboard on the Media Innovation Studio’s homepage. The other project combines collaboration platform Slack with littlebits in creating a “trick or treat machine”. When a message is sent over Slack, the littleBits cloud pushes an action to the project which turns a motor inside a gumball machine and turns the cog for sweets to be dispensed. Over the next year, we plan to run more workshops, research the findings and continue to develop with littleBits in playful and productive ways.</p>
<p><img src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113812.jpg" alt="IMG_20160704_113812" width="800" height="423" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3529" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113812.jpg 800w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113812-300x159.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113812-768x406.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113812-630x333.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113812-600x317.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p><img src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113832.jpg" alt="IMG_20160704_113832" width="800" height="840" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3531" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113832.jpg 800w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113832-286x300.jpg 286w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113832-768x806.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113832-630x662.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160704_113832-381x400.jpg 381w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p><img src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_2984.jpg" alt="IMG_2984" width="800" height="533" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3504" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_2984.jpg 800w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_2984-300x200.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_2984-768x512.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_2984-630x420.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_2984-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>
<p><img src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156.jpg" alt="IMG_20160707_114156" width="800" height="600" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3557" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156.jpg 800w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156-300x225.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156-768x576.jpg 768w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156-630x473.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156-600x450.jpg 600w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_20160707_114156-533x400.jpg 533w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></p>

aeroSee

<p>aeroSee was introduced in an alpha trial within a test environment. The trial was conducted to test the use of the drone and its functionality to capture images and research into building communities. A points-based-leaderboard interface was developed as a way to encourage participants to textually tag photos, but did not provide an increase in performance or quality, similar to findings of other research in this field. Since then, a complete redesign saw the removal of points, rewards and leaderboards and in replaced by the focus on the interaction, playful aspects, story and communities. With this approach in mind, encouraging participation through gameful interfaces based on existing and on-going research in this field the authors drew upon inspiration from commercially available apps such as Tinder and Facebook coupled with related research from within game studies. Tinder, was used in inspiring the main interface and interaction of the platform but not entirely. The swiping motion was adopted to traverse large amounts of photos in a relatively short space of time, with the same rules-based pattern of not allowing a user to go back. However, aeroSee differs in the sense of its two types of interactions: 1) speedy, where a user will continuously tag the photo, moving onto the next to get through the deck quickly; 2) accuracy, where a user will be more accurate in the detail of the photo; zooming, panning and revealing meta data. Even with framing the narrative behind a real world purpose (search and rescue), it is important different user styles of participation were met. Similar to games whereby a player can select their mode of difficulty, aeroSee has been designed to allow users who want to volunteer small amounts of time to traverse the photos in one of the two ways. This paper has concentrated on one feature of the aeroSee platform. Further research into building communities, game design, civic engagement and socialness is required. Which raises questions such as “the ethics of an audience viewing content that could be considered disturbing” and how we might mitigate against this, knowing we have no control over the drone generated content and what it might reveal.     </p>

DataMakers

<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2093" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_20150302_114649-e1441964420726.jpg" alt="IMG_20150302_114649" width="891" height="553" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_20150302_114649-e1441964420726.jpg 891w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_20150302_114649-e1441964420726-300x186.jpg 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_20150302_114649-e1441964420726-630x391.jpg 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/IMG_20150302_114649-e1441964420726-600x372.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 891px) 100vw, 891px" />We are a research project that explores ways that data can found, created and shared to help communities tell better stories about themselves.</p>
<p>We live in a world where data is driving decisions that have a direct impact on local communities. But does that data really tell the story of what a community means or what it needs? Do we really know what a local community is like, what their needs are by simply looking at the data? Is the data local enough?<br />
We believe that putting data under the control of a community is vital to them being part of the decision making process.</p>
<ul>
<li>We work together with communities to explore how innovations in technology and a participatory approach can help us create and collect data about our local communities.</li>
<li>We create open platforms to collect and share data about local communities to make them visible in the decision making process.</li>
<li>We explore and challenge how data is changing the way communities are defined and understood.</li>
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<a href="https://datamakers.org" class="g-btn color_primary size_small"><i class="fa fa-rocket"></i><span>Launch Project</span></a>

DRONEHACK

<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">DroneHack is a series of maker events from the Civic Drone Centre – a joint project between UCLan’s Media Innovation and Engineering Innovation Centre. We’re looking to bring together the brightest and best people to design, build, and fly drone applications that’ll make a difference in the real world from saving the lives of hundreds of people to delivering parcels within minutes of ordering them. Working across a series of challenges from the humanitarian, search and rescue, and media sectors, amongst others our hacks will bring together people from a range of disciplines and expertise to collaborate, create and fly the next generation of civic drones.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Each DroneHack is centred on a theme (e.g. humanitarian, transportation, environment) which provides the teams with a goal to aim for. With a limited amount of time, but all the kit provided, the teams have to design, build and test their drone and its application – all aiming to win the prestigious Golden Drone trophy.</span></p>
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CIVIC DRONE CENTRE

<p><a href="http://www.civicdronecentre.org/">www.civicdronecentre.org</a></p>
<p>The Civic Drone Centre works is a collaboration between the Media Innovation Studio and the Engineering Innovation Centre, working companies, individuals, and organisations that are using, or planning to use, remotely operated vehicles across a wide range of civilian scenarios.</p>
<p>Our remit is to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Promote drones for civic and civil uses.</li>
<li>Examine ethical and moral issues behind drone use, and prompt debate around these uses, and seek to influence policy.</li>
<li>Promote interdisciplinary digital development and working across academic institutions.</li>
<li>Encourage and support small businesses whose core activities benefit the wider UAV and remotely piloted vehicle community.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Civic Drone Centre’s current focus spreads across three separate strands, and examines the potential uses and drone engineering and software development in search and rescue scenarios, journalism and media, and humanitarian work. These strands allow us to explore both the societal issues (e.g. laws, regulations, ethics) and the technical problems (e.g. autonomous flight, sensors) and transfer new knowledge generated into other civilian uses, such as infrastructure inspection and postal delivery.</p>

Hyperlocal Revenues

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<p>The Media Innovation Studio has teamed up with J-Lab in Utrecht, Ouest Media Lab, Nantes and Nesta to explore the revenue models of hyperlocals in the UK and Europe. To date, there hasn’t be a comprehensive investigation on the current and emerging revenue streams available to hyperlocal publishers, especially with the continued convergence of content and digital technology. Therefore, we are setting out to examine a broad range of examples, from across Europe and the UK, in order to inform hyperlocal publishers as to what’s available to them so they can develop a more sustainable and resilient service.</p>
<p>We will undertake an analysis of current and emerging revenue streams and the digital technologies facilitating these. We will also carry out approximately 30 case studies with hyperlocal publishers from across France, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, as these are territories with a similar hyperlocal media landscape in regards to growth, challenges and innovation. Although there are a number of examples and various research re. revenue streams and hyperlocal business models from other territories such as the United States, the landscape there is somewhat different and less fragmented. Furthermore, with Europe’s shift towards a more cohesive Digital Single Market, we will provide greater value to the wider UK and European hyperlocal media sector by surfacing good practice from close by.</p>
<p><em><strong>The main audience for this research will be hyperlocal practitioners in the UK and in Europe, for them to use the learnings and guidance to increase their ability to provide news and information to their local communities for the long-term. We will also be providing evidence and recommendations to wider industry and policy makers in the UK and Europe in order for them to better support hyperlocal media, in regards to aspects such as the Digital Single Market, tax regulation especially in regards to organisational structure, and regulation of other areas of the digital and media sectors </strong></em></p>

EKKO and Interface

<h2><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2340" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.27.47.png" alt="Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 10.27.47" width="1202" height="648" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.27.47.png 1202w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.27.47-300x162.png 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.27.47-630x340.png 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.27.47-600x323.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1202px) 100vw, 1202px" /></h2>
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<h1>EKKO and Interface<br />
connecting print to the web</h1>
<p>Harnessing conductive inks, ‘affordable hardware’ and the web connectivity, this collaborative project from the UK explores how physical print could offer a range of novel digital interactions. By connecting our ‘EKKO’ clip to a range of paper prototypes, each designed with a conductive ink matrix, print is transformed into digitally connected interfaces. Users can access audio material, vote or control a web-based game via the print via an accompanying app. Publishers also can manage the content, and generate analytic data from users, via the accompanying content management system – Interface.</p>
<p>Developed by the Media Innovation Studio in collaboration with creative agencies Uniform and Thomas Buchanan, the project has also teamed up with industry content partners spanning newspapers, magazines and book publishers to create a range of editorial experiences that re-imagine paper as a web-connected, and updatable platform.</p>
<h2>Super 8 and Stuff</h2>
<p>Our ‘Super 8’ prototype explores how a local newspaper – the Liverpool Echo – could offer audio and updatable content. Produced for footballer Steven Gerrard’s final game for Liverpool, each football icon activates an audio report a special and important goal throughout his career. The MLS button offers something different. Taking advantage of ‘Interface’, and its ability to send content to a paper already printed and distributed, this button allows a newsroom to send updated editorial for users to consume and enjoy long after the publication date. In this case, for MLS updates over the course of the next season.</p>
<p>‘Stuff’ magazine utilises EKKO’s properties to create a games controller. Once the clip is connected, it allows readers to access a simple online game that can be played by tapping the front cover of the magazine.</p>
<p>We’re excited about the concept of paper being re-imagined as an emergent digital platform, and where this research can lead. In the coming year we hope to explore a range of user-scenarios beyond spanning transport, healthcare and the music industry.</p>

CAST

<p>The broadcasting and discovery of relevant information is one of the pressing concerns of the 21st Century. We know there is an increasing take up of mobile devices, in which consumers are increasingly demanding access to and engagement with new forms of media ‘anytime anywhere’. However, a number of challenges stand in the way of a truly ubiquitous access and retrieval of content. Research to date shows that findability and sustainability persist as two key challenges for the free flow of information in restricted environments. This is particularly true in countries with large areas that remain remote. A step change is needed to meet the needs of millions of communities worldwide.This project researches the impact of hyperlocal proximity broadcasting on communities using WiCastr devices.</p>
<p>This pilot is designed to overcome a central problem: providing relevant information in remote locations where connectivity is either non existent, problematic, costly and simply not reliable, and where media is, or may be controlled with biased agendas. People want to read their local blogger but find he is drowned out by the hectic and noisy online Google search-driven place of the Internet. They are at the local post office and want to know about the church service times, or when the post office is open but have no mobile data coverage. They are at a protest or concert and want to interact with all the other people at the event, without having to use Facebook or the Internet which may be otherwise controlled or restricted. Others might need valuable business or medical services but can’t access the Internet because the network has been damaged or shut down.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>A pilot will test innovative WiFi proximity broadcasting as a ‘word of mouth’ tool.  It will reveal a method to:</p>
<p>deliver innovative hardware devices in hard to reach places</p>
<p>–       test the ability to act as a digital ‘word of mouth’ service amplifying local content providers (such as bloggers, youth groups, charities) in their local communities by making content available for free</p>
<p>–       connect people in new ways without the need for the Internet,  applications, data plans or beacons and explore how to reduce the reliance on the gatekeepers of the Internet, such as Google and Facebook through new digital content ecosystems</p>
<p>–       create new knowledge about real world data capture and analysis</p>
<p>–       create valuable field knowledge about the Internet of Everything through a hyperlocal cloud platform providing Fog connectivity anywhere and anywhere we want.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a href="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/cast-project/" class="g-btn color_primary size_small"><i class="fa fa-rocket"></i><span>Launch Project</span></a>

MEDIA LAB SESSION

RansDash

<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2350" src="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.42.25.png" alt="Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 10.42.25" width="2712" height="1450" srcset="http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.42.25.png 2712w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.42.25-300x160.png 300w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.42.25-630x337.png 630w, http://mediainnovationstudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screen-Shot-2015-09-11-at-10.42.25-600x321.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2712px) 100vw, 2712px" /></p>
<h1>Ran’s Data Dashboard</h1>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Working with Fieldcraft Studios, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Kingston University, this short project explored how wearable technologies can be used to create stories as well as consume them. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In April 2015, Sir Ranulph Fiennes tackled the Marathon de Sables. With temperatures reaching up to 50˚C, Saharan sand dunes, limited water and nutrition and 1,360 competitors, the marathon is the toughest foot race in the world. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This project explored how biometric data, gathered through commercially available wearable sports equipment – such as the Garmin 920XT – could offer fresh insights into Sir Ranulph’s experiences over the 6-day race. The dashboard </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">visualises a range of data sets spanning geo-location, heart rate, fluid consumption and calories burnt, alongside multimedia content collected and produced by</span><a href="http://www.fieldcraftstudios.com"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Fieldcraft Studios</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, who are in the Sahara with Sir Ranulph Fiennes. This all sits alongside expert analysis from Kingston University sports scientists Chris Howe and Dr Hannah Moir who offered expert insights into the data.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our dashboard also featured on the websites of the Telegraph and Sir Ranulph’s charity, Marie Curie.</span></p>

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Contact Us

Media Innovation Studio ME413, Media Factory, UCLan, Preston, PR1 2XY

mis@uclan.ac.uk

Meaningful Digital Things sprinkled with a pinch of creativity