This interactive installation is the prototype of a magic mirror which enables a user to see four sides of herself.
Technology:
Web Camera & DirectX SDK AMCAP, Key Input Switch, Visual C++
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
What is the closet and invisible thing? We use mirror to see ourselves; we can merely see our front view. Can’t we see our left, right and rear sides? In boutiques or beauty salons, we have to twist our bodies or use more than two mirrors to see the other side of our body.
‘Mirror+’ is the prototype which improves this bad interaction. It allows a person to see the different sides of body simply spinning the mirror. The mirror is 4-sided column and each side matches to each part of body. Mirror+ means there’s something ‘plus’ on the ordinary mirror. In addition, the cross, ‘+’ means four aspects.
HOW IT WORKS
Overall installation is about 160cm high, and each side of the mirror is 50cmX50cm. Four PC cameras are installed to capture four sides of a user.
Mirror is made of four pieces of identical board. Each side of the mirror touches a micro switch inside the mirror while a user spins it. Each micro switch functions as a distinguished keyboard input to select a camera. Modified DirectX SDK AMCAP program changes the selection of the four cameras according to the key input. A projector connected to the computer equipped with the four cameras displays the captured motion onto the one side of mirror.
