The world knows what you did last summer
Jaap de Maat shared with us his final year project called I know what you did last summer, the finale to a two-year-long MA in Information Experience Design of the Royal College of Art. The ingredients are simple (an old electric wheel chair, an Arduino Mega, 12v motor board, Bluetooth slave, wires, blood sweat and tears) and the concept is very actual:
It is physically impossible for the human brain to remember every event from our past in full detail. The default setting is to forget and our memories are constructed based on our current values. In the digital age it has become easier to look back with great accuracy. But this development contains hidden dangers, as those stored recollections can easily be misinterpreted and manipulated. That sobering thought should rule our online behaviour, because the traces we leave behind now will follow us around for ever.
The video of the installation shows how the physical presence of an archive drawer stalking has a real impact on visitors:
Here’s the making of the prototype:
[original story: Arduino Blog]