MSOrgm (Motivational Sensitive Organism)

MSOrgm (Motivational Sensitive Organism) is a personal robot designed to interact with the viewer in a quiet and soothing way. As a contrast to the sometimes precocious displays of other interactive work, MSOrgm presents the viewer with self-contained and graceful gestures. This robot plant uses cameras to track viewers’ movements through facial recognition software—lifting or drooping as it responds to human interaction. MSOrgm combines techniques and concepts from kinetic sculpture and makes use of shape memory alloys with spring control. MSOrgm (based on the Mimosa plant) consists of five leaves that can move independently.

Scottie Huang is a PhD student in the Department of Architecture at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He is working with Shen-Guan Shih and Sheng-Fen Chien as part of his thesis work. He is interested in design artifacts that can enhance architecture and everyday living. His works explore tangible human-computer interfaces, assistive conceptual design tools, smart house design, movable structures, and stage design. He received an MS degree in digital media at the Institute of Architecture at the National Chaio-Tung University and a BS degree in architecture at the National Taipei University of Technology. MSOrgm was shown in 2008 at MOCA Taipei as part of Trans – 3rd Digital Art Festival of Taipei.

Shen-Guan Shih is an associate professor in the Department of Architecture at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. His research interests are in computer-aided design in architecture, design theory, and artificial intelligence. He teaches architectural design and computer applications for architecture, as well as the methods and theory of architectural design. He has an MS from Carnegie Mellon and a PhD from ETH Zürich.