about the project

Under the collective rubric of "Common Sense" Eric Paulos and Urban Atmospheres in collaboration with Paul Aoki, RJ Honicky, Ben Hooker, Alan Mainwaring, Allison Woodruff present a collection of objects at the intersection of science and citizenry, objects that parasitically use existing structures of urban life like street sweepers and traffic lights to do things like measuring pollutant levels and suggest re-purposing our signage to address new public needs. Urban Atmospheres is a collection of newly emerging urban-based research projects being conducted across Intel Research. It seeks to capture a unique, synergistic moment - expanding urban populations, rapid adoption of Bluetooth mobile devices, tiny ad hoc sensor networks, and the widespread influence of wireless technologies across our growing urban landscapes. 

 
about Eric Paulos

Eric Paulos is a Senior Research Scientist at Intel in Berkeley, California where he is the founder and director of the Urban Atmospheres research group - challenged to employ innovative methods to explore urban life and the future fabric of emerging technologies across public urban landscapes. His areas of expertise span a deep body of research territory in urban computing, sustainability, green design, environmental awareness, social telepresence, robotics, physical computing, interaction design, persuasive technologies, and intimate media. Eric is a leading figure in the field of urban computing and is a regular contributor, editorial board member, and reviewer for numerous professional journals and conferences. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley where he helped launch a new robotic industry by developing some of the first internet tele-operated robots including Space Browsing helium filled blimps and Personal Roving Presence devices (PRoPs).

Eric is also the founder and director of the Experimental Interaction Unit and a frequent collaborator with Mark Pauline of Survival Research Laboratories. Eric's work has been exhibited at the InterCommunication Center (ICC) in Japan, Ars Electronica, ISEA, SIGGRAPH, the Dutch Electronic Art Festival (DEAF), SFMOMA, the Chelsea Art Museum, Art Interactive, LA MOCA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the ZKM, and a performance for the opening of the Whitney Museum’s 1997 Biennial Exhibition.

For more information, please visit paulos.net.