Background.

R&D – Sensory Technology

Much sensory room installation equipment, has been developed by the commercial sector and seems to derived and developed from disco light and visual effects companies which have expanded into this sector.  Schools and colleges are a huge market, and most not particularly aware of the technological background, value or validity of the equipment they are buying.

How one decides what to spend ones budget on and how to differentiate between the myriad of technologies that are being sold at you.

On visiting Betts ( the huge education fair at Olympia London one enters a world of products, prices, and labeling, its about the money, it is a trade fair. Underneath all this some of these devices can be of help. If they cannot and material from catalogues like Spacekraft are no longer relevant then some strategy for colleges to team up their spend ( nationally) based in some sort of cooperative vision. How much money do they spend per annum.

Why do they buy the stuff they do.

Pressured into buying so they don’t feel left out.

There is another local centre by in Preston which is a special 'play centre' focusing on hi tech sensory rooms with content designed from the real world ie to make virtual worlds.

The SPACE Mission Statement.

"To provide a place where those with physical, learning and/or emotional difficulties may more easily acquire skills and enjoy experiences usually denied them.

I don't know what that mean as a mission statement ...what  is denied them?? How is it denied. But if this can be clarified then a design brief cold be developed.

The new centre will have three sensory rooms of different sizes to be able to meet the demand and give flexibility of use for all our different users.

What is in these spaces. How have they been designed

What  does it really achieve. Take them to the fair, zoo, cinema….whats the extra space do for the notion of experience.

The three sensory rooms with the specialist light and sound equipment. The three 'space' rooms are of varying sizes with a whole array of specialist gear which will cost 3 millions pounds

1…by actually placing them in a visually exciting environment and immersing them in a new setting, which may be unachievable in the real world. For example we could enable clients to have a virtual fly through of a city or mountainscape, go on a 3D journey through outer space or sit in the cockpit of an airliner whilst flying above local landmarks!

What is  actually in the space, hi  tech AV gear that someone else operates. At the end of the day the kids have more fun on the balloon and slides…..so whats the added extra.

Even in the brochure from the kids they say they like the swing seat and to  play hide.

Development: If one is to help develop new ideas then maybe one has to work in a new space with a different with the focus being in mobility, communications and the skills they have.

The refined brief and the specified by Beaumonet is autonomy and independence. ( Which is a very difficult brief)