The Drift Table

by Curious Home (2004)

What happens when people are given technologies that aren’t ‘for’ anything?

The Drift Table, for example, is a kind of ‘digital hot air balloon’ that allows users to drift over the British countryside from the comfort of their own sitting room.

The weight of objects on the table controls the slow scroll of aerial photographs displayed on a central view-port. Adding weight causes the table to speed up and ‘descend’ towards the landscape below, while shifting weight controls the direction of the Table’s virtual travel.

A small screen on the side of the table shows the current location, and a built-in electronic compass ensures the images are aligned with the actual countryside. Containing almost a terabyte of high-resolution aerial photography of England and Wales, the Drift Table allows almost endless exploration of the countryside.

What we really like:

The experimental nature of it. It doesn't really have a purpose, nor solve a problem and could be deemed to be useless, in a positive way. And we like the quality and simplicity of the interaction – it's been very well considered.

Please Note: All of these examples are intended for inspiration purposes only and are a curated selection of what currently exists within the Internet of Things and Academic Research.  As ideas they may not have been eligible for Objects Sandbox. Please refer to the eligibility criteria for further information.