Clay Time - Tangible Interaction with Polymer Clay for Auditory

Malleable materials such as polymer clay hold the potential to create new Tangible interactions that engage the user to be hands on. Considering the properties of the material, this work explores the possibilities of introducing clay as a medium to interact and in turn trigger audio feedback that facilitates learning, exploration and collaboration. Through this design project, we developed Clay Time, an easy to assemble polymer clay interaction-based design that uses shapes moulded and placed on a mat as input to provide audio feedback through a mounted smart phone. As a proof-of-concept prototype, this work developed preliminary image processing algorithms that interpret clay shapes moulded by the user as musical notes based on colour, size and position of the shape. In our explorations, we identified potential use cases other than creating music, such as multiplayer games, for polymer clay interactions that process 2D images generated by a top view camera. We were able to identify potential areas of implementing the use of clay as a 3D interactive material to create a different way of achieving more playful means of interaction.