BlinkM + SmartFence!

The Achitecture Department of the University of Michigan has a yearly design course called SmartSurfaces.  The 2011 focus was ‘Power’ – in the form of electricity in a localized grid and in terms of taking control by becoming an example of self-reliance. The clients were Power House Productions (PHP) - an incorporated nonprofit whose mission is to develop and implement neighborhood stabilization strategies in a Detroit neighborhood near Hamtramck.

Team SmartFence designed and built a security fence out of polycarbonate tubes. The interactive 'fence' is has motion sensors that trigger BlinkMs as people pass by. The sensors also collect data that is sent to a computer so the owners of the Power House would be able to monitor patterns and unusual activity.

Team SmartFence: Brian Muscat (School of Art & Design) Kevin Wayne (Materials Science & Engineering) Lauren Vasey (Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning) Keenan Hurlin May (Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning) Ben Hagenhofer-Daniell (Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning) Stephanie Nixon (School of Art & Design)

Faculty: John Marshall (School of Art & Design) Karl Daubmann (Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Plannng) Max Shtein (Materials Science & Engineering)