AI underfoot: Students reimagine public spaces

Enlarge

Anyone who walked through Munich’s parks or public squares over the past six months would have had a good chance of encountering master’s students from LMU’s degree program in Human-Computer Interaction. In the design course entitled Urban Machines: Designing AI Interfaces for Everyday Urban Life, taught by Professor Alexander Wiethoff and Philipp Thalhammer, the students spent a semester exploring the question of how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to make public spaces not only more attractive, but also safer, cleaner, and quieter.

The first step was to get out of the classroom and head out into the city. From the English Garden, Westpark, Sendlinger Tor, and Odeonsplatz to Marienplatz, the Allianz Arena, Hohenzollernplatz, and Munich Central Station, the total of five teams set out to explore a range of different locations in Munich. They observed how people use public spaces, where problems arise, and where intelligent technologies could make a meaningful improvement to people’s daily lives.

Human-centered design: AI for people in the city

The students came up with a variety of prototypes that surprised even Wiethoff. “I was worried that many students would take the easy option: create a new app, add a QR code, and that’s it.” Instead, the students built a robot goose to make parks safer, designed an interactive bottle collection station, created a mindfulness tile to help people relax while waiting at traffic lights, installed illuminated stones to help people find their way, and developed a floor panel for a smart elevator that asks passengers to make room if a wheelchair user needs more space. “Different contexts require different solutions, and the teams were really good at handling this,” says Wiethoff.

Designing public spaces is no easy task. Vandalism, routing a power supply, and constant changes all present major challenges. At the same time, successful solutions have the potential to improve many people’s daily lives. And in Wiethoff’s view, that is exactly what artificial intelligence should be used for. “I see a risk right now that AI will be used mainly to increase efficiency and replace people.”

Robot goose Loonie helps make dark parks safer

Enlarge

At the Institute of Computer Science on Frauenlobstraße, by mid-July the students are ready to provide an alternative vision in their final presentations. As soon as you enter the small room on the second floor, it immediately becomes apparent that the space is buzzing with ideas.

On one table, a life-size goose is being assembled, complete with eyes that glow green and red and feathers made from stuffing. Loonie is designed to be a companion on four wheels for anyone who is alone in a park at night and may feel unsafe. The prototype has an information display on its back and an emergency call button on its head. “Every woman who saw it knew immediately what it was for,” says the group in describing its test visits to Westpark.

One floor tile to calm them all: The mindful step

Enlarge

Across the room, one student’s face is lit up in blue by LED lighting. In front of him there is a floor tile that is designed to fit seamlessly into Munich’s sidewalks. During their visits to Sendlinger Tor and Odeonsplatz, the group noticed that passersby seemed to be moving through the city entirely on autopilot. “They no longer notice their surroundings, and they fill in even the briefest pause by looking at their phones,” says one student. “The mindful step” is designed to break this pattern. Its goal is to offer “a small step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.” It aims to do this by providing a playful invitation that lights up prominently on the tile: “Step on me.” An animation and vibrations then guide the person standing on the tile through a breathing exercise. Breathe in, hold your breath, then breathe out – 12 seconds during which the stress of daily life can briefly fade away.

For Wiethoff, the students’ prototypes demonstrate how technology in urban environments can help create a more positive perception of AI. They represent a departure from the dystopian vision of technology as something that primarily watches over and overwhelms people. Instead, they create a deliberately human-centered design. “This also makes people more willing to try new things and experiment,” he says. “We should show people on the street that all of us can help shape our public spaces. This is our right and we should do it.”