/project related links

Toy Symphony
The Music Toys developed by Tod Machover and his team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab are very sophisticated instruments designed simply to be played by any person with the desire to make music, with the specific needs and capabilities of young people in mind.

Research-Index HCI
Interface projects to enhance co-located collaboration

Reading List for Non-Traditional interfaces
"The topic of this class is "non-traditional" user interfaces. I mean this term to encompass a range of interactive systems that move beyond traditional desktop computing and the GUI paradigm. These include mobile systems, ubiquitous computing, wearable computing, context-sensitive systems, augmented reality and tangible interfaces."

ESE - Projects
"Twelve i3 projects research the school of the future for the 4-8 year old"

Pogo: ineractive toy environment
"Digital media should augment rather than replace the more intuitive, and traditional learning experiences. To enable the development of literacy skills, drawing, enacting and writing all remain important"

"Ich sehe, was Du hörst" IMK-Workshop (MARS)
"Die enge Verknüpfung von Erzählung und Interface ist eines der Ergebnisse des Workshops. Wie die Objekte der Ausstellung und die Ideen des Brainstorming zeigen, liegt der Schwerpunkt bei der spielerischen Erzählung durch die Gestaltung der Interfaces. Interfacetechnologie wurde mit physischem Material kombiniert, in Handarbeit entworfen, geändert und schließlich realisiert"

Tangible Media Group (MIT)
"Tangible Bits is our vision of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) which guides our research in the Tangible Media Group. People have developed sophisticated skills for sensing and manipulating our physical environments. However, most of these skills are not employed by traditional GUI (Graphical User Interface). Tangible Bits seeks to build upon these skills by giving physical form to digital information, seamlessly coupling the dual worlds of bits and atoms."

Infotainment Wettbewerb
"Kern seines Konzeptes ist ein "Musikalisches Interface" in Form einer flachen Schale, deren "reaktive Oberfläche" die Schnittstelle zu Musik- (oder Video-) Datennetzen ist. Legt man kleine "Steine" mit einem drahtlos kommunizierenden Chip in die Schale, werden die Daten aus dem Internet gezogen und zeitgleich als Musik wiedergegeben."

Philips.design

Philips - Vision of the future
"For children, the expanding world of multimedia will offer both exciting entertainment and challenging learning opportunities. Children adapt to technological progress readily and will have access to more sophisticated information and entertainment media than ever before."

/future work Weblog

Tools for smart education:
A research collection for educational (or simply fun) toys using electronics and digital technology.

/other recommended links

Formust.de
Portfolio of by Michael Wolf:
selected projects in the field of product design, media art, graphic design, research, experiments.

Stadtwirklichkeit
Experimental web interface inspired by Italo Calvino's "invisible cities".

Your Presentation Kit
Graphic design tools for start-up companies and small budgets.

Formlos Design Studio
Product design group in Cologne, Germany, of which Michael Wolf is a co-founder.

Real South Africa
Michael is founding member of Andulela Experience, an alternative tour operator offering day trips and packages for the responsible traveller on his quest for authentic South Africa.