tom-igoe-physical-computing-foundations

Tom Igoe: Physical Computing and Transduction in Interactive Art

Primary Source: https://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/
Author: Tom Igoe · Year: 2004–Present · Publisher: NYU Tisch School of the Arts (ITP)

Summary

Foundational text on physical computing by Tom Igoe (ITP / NYU), exploring how analog physical events (light, pressure, motion, touch) are transduced into digital data via microcontrollers, processed in software, and converted back into physical actuations.

Key Points

• Transduction Cycle: Converting physical energy into electrical signals (sensors), computing decisions in microcontrollers, and driving actuators (motors, LEDs, sound).
• Analog vs. Digital Sensing: Reading continuous voltage dividers (potentiometers, photocells) vs. discrete binary states (switches, buttons).
• Physical Affordances in HCI: Designing intuitive, non-screen physical interfaces that leverage human tactile intuition and spatial awareness.

Mentioned Pages

Entities

• tom-igoe

Concepts

• physical-computing
• transduction-cycle
• analog-voltage-dividers
• human-computer-interaction