(click for hi-res)

momo

Momo is a haptic navigational device that requires only the sense of touch to guide a user. No maps, no text, no arrows, no lights. It sits on the palm of one's hand and leans, vibrates and gravitates towards a preset location. Akin to someone pointing you in the right direction, there is no need to find your map, you simply follow as the device leans toward your destination.

Che-Wei Wang [pron. say-way] was born in Tokyo, Japan (1979) to a Taiwanese mother and a Japanese / Taiwanese father. He is the founder of futureFeeder.com, a blog on technology, design and computational architecture, and is the cofounder of thehundredthMonkey.com, a multidisciplinary design studio. As a visiting professor at his Alma mater, Pratt Institute, he teaches computational design with a focus on information visualization and interaction. Che-Wei is the winner of the 2003 SOM fellowship and the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Pratt Institute. He is currently completing his graduate degree at NYU (ITP). Kristin O'Friel was born in Hawaii and currently resides in New York City where she is a Masters Candidate at the Interactive Telecommunications Program, NYU. Kristin is interested in creating sensuous interactions that change the way we think about the world. Her work primarily engages public space and cognitive frameworks through interventions in the urban experience.

http://momobots.com

Acknowledgements: Developed at the Interative Telecommunications Program, NYU

momo photo: Che-Wei Wang