Reimagining Reality: Voxelization and Interpretation of Space

Caroline Guirguis, Technology Stream

Nicholas Hoban, Advisor

My thesis research is built on a foundation of research begun in the 1970’s. In 1970 SEEK was introduced by Nicholas Negroponte, whose project dynamically shaped a space inhabited by gerbils by rearranging blocks using a robotic arm. The objective of SEEK was to build an adaptive habitat for the gerbils occupying it, which failed because of the unintended aggression of the gerbils towards the robot and blocks. Nonetheless, the project had a similarly unintended benefit. SEEK was able to materialize the conception of space using cubic forms. Reimagining Reality uses an Xbox Kinect system to scan space after which it creates a voxelized reinterpretation of that space. The voxelized representation of space created through this process produces a new way of understanding the environment. Further study of such reinterpreted space is merited, as it holds great potential for producing unique spatial experiences, paving a way forward for the future of artistic and technological innovation.