Interactive Light

We first encountered light as something quite out of our control. The sun illuminated the world intermittently; when fire broke out it was deadly, not useful. But over time we have learned to harness light, generate it, and ultimately, control it. Our mastery of light has allowed us to develop unique interactions which bring to light a tangible, tactile quality. Light is, in its purest form, something we cannot hold, grip, or direct But we have designed the means to perform these actions by incorporating light into physical objects, like flashlights. Explored below are some of the ways in which interactive light creates experiences larger than the sum of its wavelengths.

“Lite-Brite” - 1967

A revolutionary interactive toy by Hasbro, Lite-Brite allowed users to insert colored pegs into a backlit grid. A piece of black paper was usually placed over the grid to hide empty holes. When the backlight was turned on, the pegs illuminated. Users had freedom to create any design they could imagine.

motion/sound detecting lights - 1970s

Early light bulbs required physical interaction in order to turn them on and off. When various sensing technologies became more widespread, these were incorporated into lights for various purposes. The light itself did not change much, but the way we interact with it did. We can now activate light just my moving, or by clapping our hands.

interactive illuminated dance floor - 1999

Tactile floors have existed since as early as 1987, but were later built to incorporate light. In this example, users find light not only in an unusual place (the floor), but find they have the ability to control the dynamics of the light by the weight of their bodies - more specifically their feet. Depending on the product, they can change the color, pattern, or even brightness of the floor. The light can follow them wherever they walk.

multi-touch displays - 2000

Touch sensitivity also began without the use of light. At first, touch input from one sensor could be translated onto a display - now the sensors are the displays. Users can essentially manipulate light with their hands by touching the displays. They have total control over all of light’s characteristics, and have the ability to create language with light (such as typing directly on the screen).

360 degree interactive light field display - 2007

Light reveals form to objects in our surroundings, but the light itself is intangible as a physical entity. With the development of this light display, light itself becomes formal, at least if it is an illusion. A mirror angled at 45 degrees spins rapidly, displaying light bouncing off of it from above at five thousand frames per second. Users can walk around the display and see an object from all angles and in correct perspective.

Click on the image to watch a fascinating video of this technology in action.