research-article

Growable, Invisible, Connected Toys: Twitching Towards Ubiquitous Bacterial Computing

Authors:

Stefan PosladAuthors Info & Claims

HttF '19: Proceedings of the Halfway to the Future Symposium 2019

Article No.: 3, Pages 1 - 9

https://doi.org/10.1145/3363384.3363387

Published: 19 November 2019 Publication History

Abstract

With the help of advances in synthetic biology, scientists are beginning to create early forms of bacteria computers, driven by artificial DNA circuits. We identify two immediate opportunities that would benefit the HCI and ubiquitous computing communities in better engagement with such developments. These are 1) The broadened curriculum for basic biological training and education, and 2) Increasingly shifting perception of living matter as hardware in interaction design. We introduce MouldCraft, a smartphone-controlled edutainment console, designed to facilitate playful interactions between humans and living micro-organisms. Main objectives of the console are to teach basic concepts in microbiology, and to re-frame the notion of bacterium as a growable, invisible, and connected ‘toy’, that can sense, actuate and communicate with computer systems and humans. With its accessible modular and interchangeable components, MouldCraft can be a timely toolkit for those outside of professional labs to start engaging with bacteria and their possible futures.

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Cited By

Ahmed TBumbacher EBlikstein PRiedel-Kruse IJoyner DKim MWang XXia M(2024)Large-Scale and Versatile Deployment of Biology Cloud Labs in Schools through Teacher Driven Curricula DesignProceedings of the Eleventh ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale10.1145/3657604.3664713(524-529)Online publication date: 9-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3657604.3664713
Kim RRisseeuw CGroutars EKarana E(2023)Surfacing Livingness in Microbial DisplaysProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581417(1-21)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581417
Kim RThomas Svan Dierendonck RBryan-Kinns NPoslad S(2020)Working with Nature's Lag: Initial Design Lessons for Slow Biotic GamesProceedings of the 15th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3402942.3409790(1-4)Online publication date: 15-Sep-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3402942.3409790
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Growable, Invisible, Connected Toys: Twitching Towards Ubiquitous Bacterial Computing
1. Applied computing
  1. Arts and humanities
    1. Media arts
  2. Life and medical sciences
2. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Interactive systems and tools
      1. User interface toolkits
  2. Interaction design
    1. Interaction design process and methods

Index terms have been assigned to the content through auto-classification.

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HttF '19: Proceedings of the Halfway to the Future Symposium 2019

November 2019

260 pages

ISBN:9781450372039

DOI:10.1145/3363384

Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 19 November 2019

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

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HTTF 2019

HTTF 2019: Halfway to the Future

November 19 - 20, 2019

Nottingham, United Kingdom

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Cited By

Ahmed TBumbacher EBlikstein PRiedel-Kruse IJoyner DKim MWang XXia M(2024)Large-Scale and Versatile Deployment of Biology Cloud Labs in Schools through Teacher Driven Curricula DesignProceedings of the Eleventh ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale10.1145/3657604.3664713(524-529)Online publication date: 9-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3657604.3664713
Kim RRisseeuw CGroutars EKarana E(2023)Surfacing Livingness in Microbial DisplaysProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581417(1-21)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581417
Kim RThomas Svan Dierendonck RBryan-Kinns NPoslad S(2020)Working with Nature's Lag: Initial Design Lessons for Slow Biotic GamesProceedings of the 15th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3402942.3409790(1-4)Online publication date: 15-Sep-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3402942.3409790
Kim R(2020)DNA as Digital Data Storage: Opportunities and Challenges for HCIHCI International 2020 – Late Breaking Posters10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_29(225-232)Online publication date: 8-Nov-2020
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60700-5_29

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