PingPongPlus

2001

Hiroshi Ishii (US) (JP)

Matthew Malcolm
Rujira Hongladaromp
Jay Lee
Blair Dunn
Craig Wisneski
Julian Orbanes
Ben Chun
Tangible Media Group

Digital water covers the surface of a ping-pong table. Each time a ball bounces off the table, digital ripples spread out quietly and the fish scatter. The sport of ping-pong is transformed into an interactive experience with the digital world. The goal of the project is to let users learn about—in a fun and engaging way—the "transformations" of meaning that arise from the design of interactive digital layers.

Ping-pong is essentially an aggressive and competitive game. By introducing a variety of digital interaction layers into the game, it can be transformed into an experience with an entirely different purpose.

The value of "PingPongPlus" is to let users learn about—in a fun and engaging way—the "transformations" of meaning that arise from the design of interactive digital layers.

The basic concept of "PingPongPlus" is to use a standard ping-pong paddle and ball to transform the sport of ping-pong itself into an interactive experience. In "PingPongPlus", digital water covers the surface of the ping-pong table. Each time a ball bounces off the table, digital ripples spread out quietly and the fish scatter.

The theme of the research is to learn by experience how the digital layer projected on top of the ping-pong table affects the competitive interaction of the game of ping-pong.

Eight microphones mounted on the bottom of the ping-pong table detect the sound waves emitted when balls bounce off the table surface. The coordinates of each ball are calculated by comparing the timing through an electronic circuit.

Using this coordinate data, a computer program calculates the ripple patterns and the movements of the schools of fish, both of which are rendered in video image and sound by a video projector mounted on the ceiling above the table.

In addition there is a mode for painting with the ping-pong balls and one in which the net on the table serves as a piano keyboard for playing music.