The lickable, edible lollipop interface
Among the exhibits at Yahoo's Design Expo yesterday was this tasty little project from designer Erin Elliott, dubbed the Edible Interface. Using a lollipop with a photo cell cooked in candy, the interface lets participants race robot babies (really, look) simply by licking the lollipop as fast as they can. The photo cell is used to detect changes in light and dark as the licker licks the lollipop, which the computer interprets as licking activity and results in sending the robot baby speeding ahead. A bit more performance art than a practical amusement, obviously, but Elliott sees some room for real-world applications, saying that "we often use our bodies to control our technology but the mouth is very sensitive. It has well-developed muscles, and this is something that is being and will continue to be developed." Not anything we didn't know about the tongue and mouth, but something has to fill in the gap until everyone has mind control.
[Via Mercury News]
