A robotic typography and a drawing canvas operated by a handset

Josh Nimoy‘s Robotic Typography recently got a mention by I.D. Magazine at the Student Design Review.

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The robotic typeface explores the potential of dynamic text in public spaces without resorting to pixels. When you press a letter on a keyboard, six “brushstrokes”—wooden calipers attached to hobby servomotors spinning to the angle specified by a PIC chip—rotate to form the character.

But I found one of his last year’s project more amusing: RibbonType allows people to type a character to a kinetic sculpture with a mobile device and see it respond by forming the approximate typographic shape through contorting a thin white ribbon.

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The screen name to send from the PDA or phone is RIBBONTYPE (and users who can browse the web with their mobile can also try http://128.122.151.201.) As it is a physical installation, RibbonType is not intended for experience on the web by people connecting from drastically remote geographies.

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In the video, the cover has been removed from the installation, exposing the insides for added fun.