Copy Paste Skate

BACKGROUND Here interactive technology is used to both improve athletic performance and to look at aesthetic responses through a feedback system. The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the premier international conference on human-computer interaction, the Games and Entertainment Special Interest Group is a significant part of the program. Mueller worked with Sebastiaan Pijnappel of Novel Interaction Design. CONTRIBUTION Copy Paste Skate is a fully integrated feedback system that demonstrates how interactive technology can support trick-based sports. It is the first interactive system for skateboarding to provide feedback on trick attempts across the Key sensory modalities for the sport: visual, haptic and aural. Life-size visualizations are projected directly onto a wall, rhythmic vibrations carry through the floor, and enhanced audio recordings are played back. Apart from providing a direct and lively way of reflecting on tricks, it offers a new canvas for creative exploration where the skateboard 'becomes a paintbrush'. As a research vehicle 12 basic skateboarding prototypes inspired by skateboarding theory were designed. Using an auto-ethnographical approach, each type was skated by the researchers who reflected on the experiences to derive four design themes: location of feedback in relation to a skater's body, timing of feedback in relation to peaks in emotions after attempts, aspects of the trick emphasized by feedback, and aesthetic fittingness of feedback. The skateboarding community responded with comments such as: "it brings the tricks to life" and "adds a new level to the skateboarding experience". This work extends designers' knowledge of interactive technology for skateboarding, and ultimately extends an understanding of how interactive technology design and the human body. SIGNIFICANCE Received conference A Best Paper Honorable Mention certificate. Featured on Scope (Channel 10) and in The Australian.