Another thesis idea I had last semester was to build something I called an “iPhone Power Ranger”. I didn’t have a specific idea, but I wanted to build an app that required multiple iPhones to work. It is really interesting to see how the iPhone is such a ubiquitous device in New York, especially at ITP. It is something I found quite shocking when I first moved to this city, especially given the fact that I hardly knew anyone who owned any type of smartphone back in Montreal. Many companies simply assume everyone has an iPhone and therefore only offer services only for that specific platform. I wanted to take this idea further and push it to a ridiculous level, expecting people to have not one, but many iPhones in order to use my app.
I revisited this concept and combined it with the 3D zoetrope. I was thinking about some comments I got in class, specifically on how some people were interested in creating their own animations, and others were concerned that the same 12 frame animation would get old really fast. I started exploring the idea of using small LCD screens to hold the content so that it could be easily updatable. This seemed like a huge hassle because they need to be powered, receive content, look good, not get tangled up as they spin, etc. Then it hit me: The iPhone has a high-resolution screen, is battery-powered, has wireless networking capabilities, and can be programmed to do almost anything. It is perfect for my needs.
The idea is to create a disc that has placeholders for 8 iPhones. The disc is the same size as a 12″ record and can fit on any conventional turntable. These 8 devices are running an app which allows them to be directed by a 9th controller iPhone. The controller is used to draw frames, send them to the other phones, and keep the whole system in sync. The system is therefore not limited by a specific number of frames, as the 8 screens can queue up images and draw them in sequence.
I am pretty excited about this idea, a lot more than I have been about the other thesis ideas I have had so far, but there are still many concerns to be addressed:
- I have to learn a new programming language, Objective-C, to write software for the iPhone. I am also going to have to dive into lots of networking code, which is notoriously always a struggle.
- I must build a record that is light enough to be driven by the turntable, but solid enough to keep all the phones in place.
- I need 9 iPhones. It won’t be too hard to find 8 people who can lend me their phones for a bit, but it will be more difficult to find 8 people who will let me install software on their phone and lend it to me for an extended period of time.
- I have to make sure I can get a decent animation framerate from the system. The fastest my turntable can spin is 72rpm. At 8 screens per rotation, I get a little less than 10fps, which is not ideal.
Hey Elie, this does sound really exciting! I see all the challenges there may be, but none of them seem impossible to work out.
My initial concern: Will you be able to get enough torque on the record-player with all the 8 iPhones? Are you actually limiting yourself by making it a record-player dependent zoetrope platform?
My second concern: How about the good people who own Android phones?
Bonus concern: CAN YOU DEFEAT CENTRIFUGE?
I don’t know about the torque of the record player. It’s definitely something I need to check soon. I don’t see how making it a turntable-based zoetrope is limiting, as I am riding on top of something that already exists and that a lot of people already recognize. I am simply creating a record, not some complicated system that most people won’t relate to. However, if the record player won’t work, then I’ll have to go the complicated system route
About the Android, this question has already come up a bunch of times. No offence to all Android owners, but your phone does not have the same esteem as an iPhone. The phone is not just there for function; It is a symbol of the popular tech culture we live in.