THE CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE
THE CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE
CREATIVE GO-GETTERS WITH A BROAD PERSPECTIVE
4 | CREATE
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY Students of Creative Technology are openminded and real go-getters. That’s why there’s always so much hustle and bustle at the University of Twente’s Smart Experience Lab (Smart XP), making it the students’ favourite ideas incubator. This is where they discover the key ingredients for new applications: technology (tools, materials) and people (expert supervision, fellow students).
Who are these students? What is their background? It’s a diverse bunch, because Creative Technology is a broad-based programme appealing to all sorts of interests. But there is also a common thread uniting them. CreaTe students are not only creative thinkers and doers, but they also have the drive to devise technical applications that people can really use and benefit from. “Generally speaking, their CVs are anything but ordinary,” says programme director Alma Schaafstal. “They often spend their free time engaged in creative activities: writing, dancing, drawing... you name it. They have a keen sense of social involvement.” Schaafstal feels that the CreaTe programme, taught fully in English, is ideal for students with a broad range of interests: “Our students need to build bridges and forge working connections with other academic disciplines. Our primary goal is not to improve the state of the art in technology, but to develop practical applications and devise solutions that will be of real benefit to society. We inspire our students to combine user interaction with the latest technology and creative design. You need a broad perspective to get the most out of this approach.” This is why prospective students do not necessarily have to have a high school diploma with a technical profile. “But then the pressure’s on, because you need a good head for maths and IT in this programme. In general, though, we manage to help almost everyone cross the finish line. You just have to give it your all. It’s always great to see how proud our students are when they see their hard work pay off in the form of a finished project or product. Some discover only once they’re here that they have a special knack for a technical skill like programming, something they may never have dabbled in before.” Practical projects are a common theme in the Creative Technology programme. Each academic year consists of four modules, and each module involves a major project to challenge these creative minds. The assignments are broadly formulated, giving students lots of scope for their own creative interpretation and approach, preferably together with fellow students from other UT fields such as Computer Science, Business & IT or Psychology. This booklet contains a number of inspiring examples of this kind of high-tech and creative collaboration. CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 5
IT LOOKS HARDER THAN IT IS The intention was to create a one-minute animated film. But second-year students Eline Oppewal and Luciënne de With got so carried away that Tripping in Space runs for more than four minutes. The young audience, a group of preschoolers, loved it. “They even started dancing to the music.”
6 | CREATE
Tripping in Space tells the story of three aliens who are going on a journey in a spaceship. The two pilots are having trouble getting the ship to take off, and the third alien is not at all pleased. In the end, the launch turns out to be easier than they thought. Can you say the same about Creative Technology? “Well, yes, in fact,” say Eline and Luciënne. “We build things here that seem highly complex, but the technology behind them is less complicated than you’d think.” Eline chose the Creative Technology programme because she wanted to keep her options open. “It’s a broad-based programme, and I like that. It really lets you discover where your interests lie. As for myself, I’ve noticed that electrical engineering is simply not my cup of tea.” Luciënne agrees. “But at some point you’ve got to choose a specialization in this broad programme. The choice is yours, and the possibilities are nearly endless.” EXTRA HOURS Eline and Luciënne really hit it off while working on their animated short film, which was their second-year project in the New Media module. It’s an animated film for young kids about aliens. After coming up with a story, they wrote a storyboard and thought up scenes. Then they started creating the models and working on the animations. “We thought it would be easier to model aliens than people, but that was not the case at all. We really invested a lot of time in the project. Our film ended up longer than necessary, but when a project really piques your interest, then it’s enjoyable to put in the extra hours,” they explain. The whole project was a real eye-opener. Eline and Luciënne would both like to continue working in animation, but they realize how difficult it is to find work in this niche. “We’re also thinking about getting into the games industry.”
WHILE STUDYING YOU FIND OUT WHERE YOUR INTERESTS LIE
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 7
THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY
8 | CREATE
One night when Emile was just about to drift off to sleep, he noticed that his bedroom light was still on. Emile had to leave his comfortable bed just to switch off the pesky light. “There must be a better way,” thought the student of Creative Technology. The very next day, he scraped together a modest budget and built a prototype of a system that responds to sound. His fellow student Stefan, who, like Emile, was on the board of the Proto study association, liked what he saw. The second-year students wrote a business plan together. Their market analysis and final pitch provided more and more evidence for the commercial viability of their idea. “We found no comparable products on the market. Our vision of an easy-to-use, open platform to seamlessly integrate devices from different manufacturers had never before been embodied in a consumer product, let alone with voice-control technology.”
A HOUSE THAT LISTENS TO YOU Stefan Witkamp and Emile Nijssen came up with a voice-operated remote control that connects all devices in a home. A thousand crowdfunders jumped at the chance to get a stake in Homey. Major electronics retailers are also keen to market the smart white sphere.
WHITE SPHERE Stefan was taking a minor in Business & IT, while Emile was immersing himself in Human Technology Interaction. They decided to embark on a joint final project involving research into various aspects of Homey, such as specifications and production methods. To this end they set up a brand-new company, and they drew up a detailed business plan under the expert supervision of Kennispark Twente. The development of Homey has been so rapid that Stefan and Emile sometimes have to pinch themselves to make sure they’re not dreaming. They launched a Kickstarter campaign that quickly caught the attention of a thousand enthusiastic crowdfunders who pledged 200,000 euros in seed capital for the company. Stefan is still amazed: “That was twice the amount that we expected!” Their company, known as Athom, now employs twenty people. Stefan is the commercial director, focusing on sales and partnerships, while Emile is the company’s creative director, responsible for technical development based on consumer experience. The appealing white sphere has the potential to become a huge commercial success. Mediamarkt and other electronics stores will soon be including Homey in their product range. List price: 299 euros. Stefan and Emile are brimming with pride about the ease of use of their super cool remote control. “Homey is making in-home technology easy and fun again.”
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 9
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SMART PEOPLE
10 | CREATE
PRINTR MAKES 3D PRINTERS SMARTER Two fellow students were already developing software for 3D printers when they asked Cecile de Waal if she wanted to join them. She had a good feeling about the project, so she immediately said yes. Cecile is now co-owner of Printr, a company that has signed contracts with major manufacturers of 3D printers.
Her thesis project at Creative Technology was about something else entirely: an app for the Dutch Folk Tales Database. But when her fellow students Douwe-Bart Mulder and Chris ter Beke asked her to join them, she simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “They were working on software development and asked if I wanted to take on the organizational and PR side of things. It sounded so great, that I immediately said yes.” Printr was up and running just a couple of months after her graduation. Cecile is now the COO, Douwe-Bart is the CEO focusing on strategy and potential investors, while Chris, as CTO, is responsible for the company’s technology. “When I started, I was still in the dark about the technical aspects of 3D printers,” says Cecile. “But these are things you can learn. Moreover, I always say that you should surround yourself with smart people, and that’s exactly what we’ve done at Printr.” WINDOWS FOR 3D PRINTERS At Printr they have developed their own operating system, a kind of Windows for 3D printers. During the development phase, they found that existing 3D printers lack the built-in processing power needed to handle complex jobs. Now they’ve come up with a solution. Cecile explains: “3D printers can only respond to a handful of commands. So we’ve developed hardware that enables them to execute more tasks. We’ve given them additional processing power so that they can be controlled via the web just like standard paper printers.” Printr has already signed contracts with two major manufacturers, whose 3D printers now feature the integrated hardware and software solution. This next generation of printers can be operated via a free web-based account, and they offer all the additional functionality. Cecile beams: “It’s now a piece of cake to design your own phone case with your company’s name or logo and then print it in 3D.”
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 11
CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY
12 | CREATE
PHYSIOTHERAPY ON A LED FLOOR Physiotherapy often comes down to the endless repetition of boring exercises. Why not provide people with an enjoyable challenge instead? Silke ter Stal had physio patients play interactive games on a LED floor.
Silke completed her Creative Technology thesis project at LedGo in Amersfoort, a company that makes interactive LED floors for the entertainment industry (such as for the Eurovision Song Contest). The company held the view that their technology could also be used for physiotherapy, helping people with a physical problem master specific movements quicker. Silke was asked to research this new idea. She got in touch with the De Hoogstraat revalidation center in Utrecht, where she inventoried the wishes and needs of patients and interviewed the physiotherapists. Silke selected three game concepts to test on a group of patients. One of the games entailed dodging obstacles in a virtual landscape. Another game resembled the classic Twister: patients had to traverse the LED floor by stepping on only square or circular symbols. CHALLENGE 40 patients and 30 physiotherapists from the centre tested the games for four days. The results? “The patients were particularly enthusiastic. They enjoyed having the chance to try something other than their usual routine of often dull, repetitive exercises. They really responded to the challenge of the interactive games on the LED floor, and they felt very motivated to give it a go. The physiotherapists, on the other hand, were not so easily convinced. They are accustomed to their own style of physiotherapy, and they prefer to stick to what they know. To win them over, physiotherapists will need a thorough introduction to the LED floor technology and training in how to use it for the benefit of their patients. They need to be aware that it’s more than just a game. It’s a valid method for providing beneficial therapy.” The University of Twente and LedGo have now joined forces to investigate the potential of physiotherapy games using LED floor technology. Silke has since graduated from the CreaTe programme and is now working on a Master’s in Human Media Interaction. “I’m thrilled by the idea of developing interactive applications with a beneficial purpose. That could be in healthcare, but also in education or museums. It’s a great way to make a genuine and lasting contribution to society.”
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 13
TESTS USING EYE-TRACKING Michelle ten Pas discovered her technical skills while studying Creative Technology. She learned programming and then designed a vocabulary test for toddlers using eye-tracking technology.
The test is called ‘I see, I see’. Michelle designed it for the Cito testing agency. The idea behind the test is for the child to manipulate a virtual flashlight on the screen with its eyes. The child earns points by looking at the correct object and pressing the right key. It works like a game for the kids, and it enables teachers to monitor their pupils’ vocabulary development. A couple of years ago, Michelle never would have thought that she could develop such a tool, but she did it. “My experience just goes to show that you don’t have to be super technical to study Creative Technology,” she says. “And I’m certainly not alone. CreaTe students come from all kinds of different backgrounds. Some are more interested in the business side of things, while others just want to indulge their creative passions by designing. You get exposed to the full range of subjects right from the start. I had never programmed a computer before I started here. But now, thanks to lots of hard work, I’m even surprising myself.” DIY This is in fact the premise behind the Creative Technology programme, as Michelle has noticed: “You learn how to pick up new knowledge and skills on your own. You get the tools and guidance, but then it’s up to you to get to work. The assignments give you plenty of scope for your own interpretation and creative touch. For example: create an active floor. What did I make? A floor with pressure sensors and lights to show you the way.” Michelle learned a lot from her thesis assignment for Cito. Besides the technical aspects of the project, she also got acquainted with the educational testing agency and she gained first-had experience in developing an idea on her own. ‘I see, I see’ proved difficult to implement in practical situations. However, Michelle developed more than 50 other applications for Cito that use eye-tracking technology for testing toddlers. One thing’s for sure: she really enjoyed working in the field of education, and she has now decided to take the Master’s in Educational Science & Technology when she graduates from CreaTe.
14 | CREATE
PROGRAMMING WAS COMPLETELY NEW TO ME CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 15
CUBES FOR AN INSPIRATIONAL MOOD BOARD Create something that will inspire us, said software company IBM in Amsterdam. And they did it: five Creative Technology students designed Idea Blocks, large cubes featuring RFID technology.
Every year, groups of second-year CreaTe students work on a joint project for a company that has a specific assignment. Jasmijn Kruijshaar, Laura Beunk, Timo te Velde, Gelieke Steeghs and Luciënne de With got to work with IBM. The company wanted the students to come up with ‘something’ that would inspire employees to develop new products or services. “A broad assignment, but one that gave us a lot of creative scope,” says Luciënne. “The CreaTe programme teaches you to think comprehensively and not to hem yourself in. We look at a problem or assignment from all possible angles, keeping all our options open at first. It’s only later in the process that we start narrowing things down.” The five students created four cubes with four themes: technology, nature, health and art. The idea is to put different cubes on a special board, establishing a connection between an RFID chip and an RFID receiver. Then, any screen can display a mood board with inspiring images from the Internet related to the specific cube’s theme. IBM tried out the Idea Blocks, as the large cubes are called, during brainstorming sessions. Luciënne: “Almost anything can appear on the screen, but the Idea Blocks don’t produce instant solutions. You might see an old painting, which can be a great inspiration for new designs.” The people at IBM were so enthusiastic that they asked the five students to create an updated version of their prototype. Version 2.0 consists of a roll-up patch of artificial turf instead of a board. The cubes are now made of plexiglass and LED strips, making them much more appealing. The students presented their work at an IBM exhibition in Amsterdam, where the Idea Cubes were very well received. “Some people were really surprised that university students could come up with something so cool. They even said we should pursue development and start up our own business. We’d love to, but we just don’t have the time right now.”
16 | CREATE
LOOKING AT A PROBLEM FROM ALL POSSIBLE ANGELS
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 17
ADD AN EXTRA DIMENSION
18 | CREATE
Music can make or break a film. Why should that be any different for e-books? ReadBeats uses music to set the mood and enhance your reading experience. Listening and reading at the same time.
Margot Rutgers came up with the idea for the application. The student of Creative Technology wanted to add an extra dimension to the reading experience. She developed a clever algorithm that analyses the e-book’s text and selects appropriate music. The programme learns from the choices made by the reader. If you don’t think the music chosen for you is right, then you can skip songs. If you think the music is suitable for the story, you can indicate this by pressing the ‘like’ button. Margot’s fellow students Carmen Burghardt and Tijmen van Willigen helped further develop the ReadBeats concept. The collaboration between the three Creative Technology students resulted in a nomination for the SpinAwards, the ‘battle of concepts’ for ideas in the area of digital communication. “It’s a lot of fun and very educational to take part in this competition,” says Carmen. “You have coaches to support you, and during workshops you learn more about things like pitching an idea. By fine-tuning a concept, you increase its chances of success in the market. You will also find out what makes your product great and what could be improved or rejected.”
READBEATS: LISTEN TO MUSIC AND READ AT THE SAME TIME DEADLINES Creative Technology is a programme that allows for the development of concepts such as ReadBeats, says Carmen. “The programme is highly innovative and unlike an average degree programme. This is because of the combination of theory and practice. You get used to working with others and you learn how to deal with short deadlines and time constraints, skills that you will need in the workplace.” Carmen enjoys the fact that the Creative Technology degree programme is broad-based. “There are plenty of career options. It all depends on your own focus. I have taken some very diverse courses, because they all appealed to me. Now I would like to learn more about IT. Technology lies at the heart of everything and keeps coming back. It’s important to truly understand how things work before you can move forward. The degree programme teaches the basics of the various technical aspects involved in creative technology. At the end of the programme, you will know a little bit about everything. That’s a great starting point.”
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 19
MEMORIES OF LOWLANDS Visitors to Lowlands can use a wristband to relive their experiences at the music festival. Bob Loos is thrilled with this kind of interaction between people and technology. He helped develop the technology at Lowlands.
Nedap’s Memory Meeting Point is a regular feature on the festival grounds in the countryside outside the town of Biddinghuizen. Visitors can come to the bright orange lookout tower to pick up a free wristband fitted out with an RFID chip for collecting memories. You then check in by waving your wristband near special posts when you go to see your favourite artists (there were 115,000 check-ins in 2015). As you work your way through the festival, Spotify creates a playlist for you based on your check-ins. The RFID technology in the wristbands can also help you find your friends if you get separated. Bob Loos is proud that he could assist in developing various applications on behalf of Nedap, a tech company. “I didn’t have much experience with programming, but Nedap gave me the support I needed. It was a great experience, and I learned loads. I even got to work on two editions of Lowlands. We thought up new applications like ‘group jump’, where you and your friends jump in the air together for a group photo. We also came up with a concept called ‘messages to the future’, where you record a short message for the other festival-goers that gets broadcast at a random moment.” HEALTHCARE Bob got acquainted with Nedap while working on an internship assignment as part of his Creative Technology degree. He now works there in the Healthcare division, developing health-related software applications. One such application for the web is the Quality Monitor, which gives healthcare provides an overview of tasks that need to be completed only once every six months. “By limiting the administrative burden, these professionals can devote more time to patient care.” Bob combines his part-time job with the Master’s in Human Media Interaction, which he joined after graduating from CreaTe. “It’s wonderful, because I can immediately use everything I’m learning. And I can use my on-the-job experience at Nedap to augment my Master’s programme. I’m fascinated by the interaction between people and technology. That’s why I joined the CreaTe programme a few years ago. I’m not one of those people who enjoys probing the depths of a single subject, seeking out abstractions.”
20 | CREATE
FESTIVAL-GOERS SENT MESSAGES TO THE FUTURE
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 21
YOUR OWN LIGHTSABER Star Wars fan Freek Teunen wanted his very own lightsaber, the galaxy-hopping Jedi’s weapon of choice. The third-year CreaTe student organized a workshop for thirty of his fellow students. It even caught the attention of the national media. Things got so busy at the workshop, that he didn’t even have time to build his own lightsaber.
22 | CREATE
Freedom is what made Freek decide to study Creative Technology. “I made a deliberate choice for a programme that gives me lots of scope to explore and discover, a programme that’s about more than just hitting the books. I’ve been building websites for years, and I love to put together electronic gadgets. That really fits in with the Creative Technology profile. The programme effectively combines academic thinking with practical skills. You get to work on lots of your own projects, devising your solutions independently, but with expert supervision.” As a third-year student, Freek joined the board of the Proto study association as a full-time member, meaning he had to put his studies on hold temporarily. As a new board member, he had one goal in mind: organizing a major event. “I’m a huge Star Wars fan, and that’s why I wanted to build a lightsaber. And not just some run-of-themill gizmo that you can pick up in any corner shop, but my very own sword that can respond to sound or other stimuli.” FULLY BOOKED Freek approached CreaTe lecturer Edwin Dertien about giving the workshop. Freek himself took charge of organizing the event. He wanted to give his fellow students the opportunity to build their own high-tech sword, and the workshop was fully booked in under an hour. Edwin Dertien designed a prototype of the lightsaber, which includes an opaque plastic tube, a led strip, a speaker, a battery, and electronics that control everything. Total cost for parts: 60 euros. “Then I needed to find sponsors. I arranged for the purchase of all the materials and I made sure we had plenty of tools on hand. I also sent out invitations to the Star Wars fan club and the media.” The workshop made the national news (RTL7 and SBS6). Freek was so busy that day, that he didn’t get round to building his own lightsaber. He didn’t let that get him down, though, and he’s now looking ahead. His current project entails developing an interactive stories app for children. “What do I want to do after graduation? Probably something along the lines of technology marketing. The business side of technology holds real appeal for me.”
I WANTED A PROGRAMME THAT GIVES ME SCOPE FOR EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 23
EXERCISING YOUR CREATIVE MUSCLES 24 | CREATE
Isabel Pfab developed and tested the Posturise, a smart shirt that can help prevent neck, shoulder and back problems. She now knows that wearable technology is her true passion.
The Posturise shirt is designed to correct unfavourable sitting posture while at work. Working at a desk for extended periods of time can cause a range of physical and mental complaints. However, many people are unaware of their poor posture. The Posturise shirt has sensors that can signal when the wearer starts to slouch. The smart shirt can then provide feedback on better posture, helping you to get through the workday without putting undue strain on your back, shoulders or neck. Isabel assisted in the design of the Posturise, and she studied its use on four test subjects. Following the test period, three of the four subjects reported that the smart garment had trained them to adopt better posture while seated. They also reported fewer complaints. A physiotherapist supervised the test, concluding that the posture of all four test subjects had improved considerably.
SMART SHIRT IMPROVES POSTURE NEW MEDIA Isabel got involved in the Posturise project as part of her Master’s in Human Media Interaction. The Master’s followed on logically from her Bachelor’s in Creative Technology. “I opted for the CreaTe programme because it’s about more than hard-core technology. It’s about exercising your creative muscles and indulging your passion for design. I leaned about the programme at an education fair in Germany, and I knew right away that CreaTe was right for me!” Isabel specialized in New Media and got to work on lots of projects involving web design and game design, including the development of a game for people who have difficulty reading and writing. This experience gave her a solid basis for the Master’s in Human Media Interaction, where she was able to focus exclusively on wearable technology. “CreaTe really gave me a head start!” Now that she’s completed her Master’s degree, Isabel is looking forward to living her dream: “I want to set up my own studio where I can use creative technology to build fantastic prototypes for the gaming or fitness industry.” CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY | UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE | 25
COLOPHON Text: Marco Krijnsen Translation: Taalcentrum-VU Design: Station Noord Photography: Xadya van Bruxvoort (page 2, 8, 27), Gijs Ouwerkerk Thanks to all CreaTers for their enthousiasm and contribution to this publication. Publication University of Twente, 2016
26 | CREATE