Professor Tom Barker, Smart Slab Ltd - Interactive Architecture

Professor Tom Barker (RCA) talked about interactive architecture and his company Smart Slab Ltd that he set up in 2000.  An impressive and tenacious person he has created a very innovative and interesting product.

Smart Slab was devised during a night out with a drawing on a napkin.  Nine years later they are now working on the Axis building in Manchester due for completion in October 2009.  The skyscraper's facade will be covered in tv screens from the ground up and will be showing a selection from the BBC archive.  

Smart Slab is a very versatile product that can be used internally or externally and it's also very durable.  It is part of the 2.0 revolution with the public creating their own content.  For instance, they have designed a Community Cube in Tokyo, Japan.  It's a 4.8 metre cube which for most of the day shows advertising, but for two hours a day it will show Youtube style films.

Smart Slab is simply a way to cover an area internally or externally with interactive architecture that responds to people.  Advertisers are very keen to use it as technology has now developed so that it can tell whether people are looking at it or not using eye tracking with infra red.

The inspirations for this product came from the Tom Cruise film Minority Reports.