Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-82). / In the past three decades, especially in the aftermath of September 11th, significant effort has been focused on developing technologies for aviation security. Security inspectors have considerable latitude to wave passengers into additional screening, and pat-downs are extensive and thorough. Immigrants, individuals from minority groups, and persons from specific ethnicities are targeted more, and accuse authorities of racial profiling and discrimination in both the "random" selection and the actual pat-down procedure, but are often reluctant to resist or file official complaints. Expensive, intrusive technologies at security officials' disposal reinforce an inherent power imbalance between authorities and passengers, and set the space for abuse of power. To date, the only tool at a target's disposal is a verbal or written account of their experience that may or may not be taken seriously. Moreover, existing airport security legislation is flawed and open to interpretation, and official standards used to define a breach are absent or lax. <random> search is an an instrument, a neutral, quantifiable witness to the screening process. / (cont.) Undetectable, wearable pressure sensors, implemented with Quantum Tunneling Composites (QTC), are distributed across the undergarment in order to monitor and record inappropriate or unjustified searches. By allowing the traveler to log and share the experience s/he is going through, the 'smart' body suit attempts to quantify the search using a common platform and standardized measurements. The digital record is repeatable and legible enough to be used as evidence to hold security officials accountable for their actions. <random> search is a personal, voluntary technology that does not impose a course of action on the wearer, but rather offers him/her a record to analyze, incriminate, share, perform, or simply keep. / by Ayah Bdeir. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2008. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-89). / The goal of the proposed research is to further the fabrication of a high-bandwidth two-axis scanning device. The device is intended for use in a holographic video geometry built specifically to take advantage of the new modulator's high-bandwidth and vertical-deflection capabilities, but it could also be used in many developing 3D display systems which currently require high-bandwidth light modulation. The modulator will have a spatial frequency bandwidth one order-of-magnitude greater than current light modulation technologies and be two orders of magnitude less expensive. / by Daniel E. Smalley. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-66). / Over the past four years the research described in this thesis has enabled community groups to become collaborative content producers on the Internet. These groups use computer-mediated networking to publish their stories and to enhance the interaction among the community members and their peers in other groups. This research has resulted in a community publishing tool called Pluto and its revision called Goofy that is nearing its completion. Further, the growth of these communities has led to the need for another system, called SilverWire, to facilitate interaction among communities. SilverWire is a tool for increasing socialization and augmenting communication among communities that actively publish content on the Internet. SilverWire collects and builds models of communities, which form the basis for customized interconnections among communities. Community models are built implicitly by analyzing the contents of the sites that take part in SilverWire and are collected explicitly from questions asked about community purpose, identity and communication. As a result, SilverWire recommends pointers to related community publications and provides comparisons between communities. The goal of the SilverWire system is to be an intermediary that makes communities more aware of other communities doing similar (or interestingly different) work. To evaluate the project I report in detail the progress of one of the groups called the Silver Stringers, which is a local community consisting of approximately 30 senior citizens. The main impacts of the project for the Silver Stringers have been (1) acquiring a new mindset in becoming media content producers, (2) continuous mental stimulation through learning and creating in a group setting, and (3) increased social interaction. / by Marko Sakari Turpeinen. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-87). / The violin has long been admired as one of the most beautiful, complex, and challenging musical instruments. With its capacity for nuance, richness of tone, and flexibility of range, its expressive qualities have been surpassed by none, despite the fact that its construction has not been changed for hundreds of years. It is the form and function of the traditional violin that inspired the work detailed in this thesis. Here, the design and construction of a new violin interface, the Hyperbow, is discussed. The motivation driving the research of this instrument was the desire to create a violin bow capable of measuring the most intricate aspects of violin technique, the subtle elements of physical gesture that immediately and directly impact the sound of the instrument while playing. In order to provide this insight into the subtleties of bow articulation, a sensing system was implemented to measure changes in position, acceleration, and the downward and lateral strains on the bow stick. These sensors were fashioned using an electromagnetic field sensing technique, commercial MEMS accelerometers, and foil strain gauges. Because the forces and stresses applied to the bow are immediately connected to a violinist's experience while playing, the implementation of a new music controller that utilizes these intimate aspects of physical interaction between a player and an instrument may inspire altogether new methods of expression. The measurement techniques used in this work were found to be quite sensitive and yielded sensors that were easily controllable by a player using traditional right hand bowing technique. In addition, the Hyperbow proved to be helpful in recognizing and analyzing the physical parameters of common bowstrokes / by Diana S. Young. / S.M.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-89). / by Nicolas Saint-Arnaud. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-132). / Suguru Ishizaki. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-176). / This thesis proposes a new approach to electronic markets that overcomes the shortcomings of existing electronic markets through software agent-driven, peer-to-peer, iterative negotiations. Contemporary electronic markets commonly capture both the customs and shortcomings of traditional practice. Rule-based and bound to traditional models, contemporary electronic markets are overly controlling, segregated, inflexible, weakly automated and fixated on price. Many prior attempts to interpose electronic exchanges in existing markets have failed or encountered resistance from traders. Traders' resistance is interpreted here as a call for systems that bend to the will of traders while channeling self-interested actions toward healthy market practices. The Atomic Market is both a model for an agent-based, peer-to-peer marketplace, and a working system that shows the model in operation. The Atomic Market architecture defines a decentralized marketplace wholly controlled by traders through a new protocol for distributed negotiation. The demonstration system is a collection of independent software agents that pursue economic exchanges via the Atomic Market methodology. In the Atomic Market, multiple agents resolve their self-interests though cycles of rewriting a "contract" comprised of descriptive, flexible terms tailored to the needs of each trader. The Atomic Market interprets the Contract Net Protocol as a message-passing system for economic negotiations, in which agents conduct broad, parallel searches to discover opportunities and trading partners in an open marketplace. One of the first implementations of a decentralized, peer-to-peer agent marketplace, the Atomic Market brings together three features not found in contemporary e-commerce systems: decentralization, component-based transactions and open-ended outcomes. Buyers and sellers benefit from the exchange of detailed needs, offers, contingencies and external conditions as they define and negotiate both the substance and terms of a transaction. / James E. Youll. / S.M.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-63). / David Williamson Shaffer. / M.S.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 59). / A growing number of artists are using new electronic and computational technologies for the creation of interactive, kinetic, and behavior-based art. However, users without technical backgrounds often find that there is no simple way to begin creating with these new materials without first learning a wide range of programming and electronic skills. This thesis discusses a set of technologies and activities designed for an introductory robotic art course that enable art students with little technical background to experiment with computation as a medium. The thesis presents case studies to highlight how students engaged with these technologies and discusses how the ideas represented in the course make possible a new model for artist/engineer collaboration. / by Casey Wayne Smith. / S.M.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-76). / Deb Kumar Roy. / M.S.