Space Halo

Our goal was to design an interface that emphasized the position of voice in space, supported bodily control, intuitive navigation, and spatial awareness of sound.  The final design is Space Halo, which is a physical sphere rolling along a circular path, moving a magnet attached to a rotary sensor.

Components

3D Printed encasing and orbit path

Metal sphere

Magnet attached to an arm that swivels a rotary sensor,

Microcontroller

Prototyping Process

Our design process was driven by hands-on exploration and iterative building in collaboration with Hjalte Hjort and Nicolaj Spangaa.

The prototyping stages are summarized as follows:

First Prototype

The first prototype was created using TouchOSC to explore interface layouts. It focused on a single spatial plane (x/y-axis), deliberately leaving out the z-axis for future development. We identified that our goal was to design an interface that emphasized the specific position of voice in space. We realized that we often imagined the voice as anchored near the center, so we created a system that maintained this fixed proximity.

Second Prototype

As the first physical build was too large, the ball would not roll smoothly. The friction produced unwanted noise. Furthermore the magnet hidden inside would not run smoothly.

Third Prototype

We decided to try a build, where the magnet would be exposed instead, in order to run freely with no friction. Although the size of the ball felt good in the hand, the magnet setup reminded us too much of a clock. At this point, we temporarily abandoned the magnet-and-sphere idea.

Fourth Prototype

Abandoning the original ball-in-path concept, this version reminded us too much of an assembled tractor steering wheel. After a team meeting, we regained confidence in the magnet idea and refined it with new insights.

Final Prototype

Final build was 3-D printed, sensors and magnets and code was implemented and it worked as intended.

Inspiration

Our engagement with spatialization software, where sound is represented as a point/sphere in virtual space, encouraged us to develop a physical counterpart: a tactile approach to sound control. The sphere also held a symbolic power that represents celestial bodies, fortune-telling, sacred geometry, futurism, spirituality, playfulness, and circular logic. These associations helped shape both the visual aesthetic and the conceptual underpinnings of the interface. We were surprisingly inspired by a cat toy, a ball rolling in a circular track, and its continuous orbit.