Brooklyn, NY – January 9, 2017 – MIT Media Lab alumnus and TED Fellow, James Patten, Ph.D. is redefining the meaning of “connected” with his latest project Lift, an interactive lighting feature that senses and responds to human activity.

Lift is comprised of 24 geometric petals attached to a single spine. Each petal, actuated using a shape memory alloy known as nitinol, can move up and down in response to motion it detects to create a lighting feature that does more than light your way – fluttering slightly as someone walks beneath it or moving more dramatically in response to wild movements.  

“We stand at the dawn of a huge shift in the field of interaction design, one where the dynamism of the digital world is embodied in the physical, where our everyday objects have even richer interactivity than today’s smartphones, and where the built environment and interactive media become one and the same,” says James Patten, founder of Patten Studio.  

The TED Fellow’s studio-initiated research has led to the creation of new technology platforms, like Thumbles, tiny-computer controlled robots that enrich the power of computation with the tangibility of physical interaction. His latest work Lift takes interaction away from screens altogether.

Currently on display at SHoP Architects, Lift is a conversation starter. “It challenges us to think about the design decisions we can make when we not only begin to incorporate materiality and physicality, but also raise our expectations of technology and imbue our spaces with some of the richness, nuance, and immediacy we experience in the natural world,” says Patten. “We often look at technology as something that separates - a couple sits at a restaurant looking at their phones instead of each other, mobile apps capture our attention with seemingly endless stimulation – but that behavior isn’t inherent to technology. What we design today can and will have huge implications for tomorrow, shaping how we come to connect with those around us.”

Patten’s upcoming talk at the Design Futures Council Leadership Summit on Design Innovation & Technology, January 11-12, 2017 will explore how technology can enhance not only how we interact with each other in physical space but ultimately how our built environments will shape the future of business.

About Patten Studio

Patten Studio designs experiences that merge interactive media and the physical world, transforming how we interact with technology in the objects and spaces around us. From experiential activations for global brands to large-scale installations for public and private institutions, Patten Studio is defining the future of interactivity. For more information visit www.pattenstudio.com.

For Press Images:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/awxp1uwr2muq6s0/AABFV-Mx4GIjO4FivEVkcpe8a?dl=0

For Media Inquiries:

Mihae Mukaida, Patten Studio

mihae@pattenstudio.com

1 917.740.4177

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