Name: Architecture that senses and responds
Uploaded: 2011-05-03T14:38:00Z
Duration: 15 min 29 s
Description: With his team at SENSEable City Lab, MIT's Carlo Ratti makes cool things by sensing the data we create. He pulls from passive data sets -- like the calls we make, the garbage we throw away -- to create surprising visualizations of city life. And he and his team create dazzling interactive environments from moving water and flying light, powered by simple gestures caught through sensors.

With his team at SENSEable City Lab, MIT's Carlo Ratti makes cool things by sensing the data we create. He pulls from passive data sets -- like the calls we make, the garbage we throw away -- to create surprising visualizations of city life. And he and his team create dazzling interactive environments from moving water and flying light, powered by simple gestures caught through sensors.

Architecture that senses and responds

Cities are transforming into responsive systems, filled with sensors that let buildings, infrastructure, and even trash communicate in real time. During the 2006 World Cup, citywide cell data tracked celebrations as crowds surged through Rome. Projects like a water pavilion with walls made of shifting digital waterfalls demonstrate how architecture can now sense and react to people. As the digital and physical worlds merge, collective participation is shaping public spaces and redefining how humans interact with their environments.