What is physical computing?
Physical computing refers to the process of building physical interfaces that respond to the analog world. This is done by building circuits with micro controllers, wires, sensors, LEDs, motors etc. and controlling them with a piece of custom-made software (i.e: “Turn the LED on when the number sent by the photocell sensor is less than 100”). Physical computing is a great way of introducing or reinforcing programming concepts, and exploring how they can be applied to non-screenbased applications. But it has also been used beyond the educational realm – by artists, to support ALS patients, for immersive installations, experimental music, fashion, and to test water quality.
While there are a lot of similarities between robotics and physical computing, the latter is focused on creating interfaces that explore the human body’s relationship to the digital world (rather than building robots that can function without human or environmental input).
Further reading/resources:
- “The Measured Man” – article from the Atlantic
- “Massimo Banzi: How Arduino is open-Sourcing imagination” – TED talk
- Physical Computing page at ITP NYU
