0:00:01.623,0:00:04.615
Let’s face it, that button has something[br]that draws us to it.

0:00:04.639,0:00:06.376
We can’t resist pressing it.

0:00:06.400,0:00:09.129
Just as curiosity sparks our interest[br]in our surroundings,

0:00:09.153,0:00:12.065
it’s the question of what might happen[br]if we press that button

0:00:12.090,0:00:13.391
that makes it irresistible.

0:00:13.518,0:00:16.104
Today almost everything,[br]even this talk, begins or ends

0:00:16.129,0:00:17.571
by pressing a button.

0:00:17.595,0:00:19.734
Now buttons are nothing new,

0:00:19.758,0:00:21.813
when TV became mainstream,[br]we had buttons,

0:00:21.838,0:00:25.029
but they just changed the channels,[br]nothing surprising.

0:00:25.593,0:00:28.657
After the age of passive TV viewing[br]videogames arrived.

0:00:29.979,0:00:32.595
Nothing crazy, but now buttons[br]did something else.

0:00:32.621,0:00:35.524
They had more than a single purpose[br]and became programmable,

0:00:35.549,0:00:38.825
so now you had to press them[br]to know what they did.

0:00:40.301,0:00:43.236
That sparked our curiosity:[br]the mystery of the button.

0:00:44.174,0:00:46.214
Then the 80s came along.

0:00:46.477,0:00:50.947
I grew up when videogames became popular,[br]especially game consoles.

0:00:51.647,0:00:55.228
This was the start of interactive[br]entertainment mediated by technology.

0:00:56.284,0:00:59.238
Although I lost often, as you can see,[br]I got hooked.

0:00:59.263,0:01:02.016
With that upbringing,[br]I wanted everything to have buttons.

0:01:02.040,0:01:05.614
Even if nowadays they don't have[br]a button's shape or are invisible

0:01:06.104,0:01:08.137
The button leads to an interaction.

0:01:08.983,0:01:13.449
In the first videogames,[br]the "bad guy" didn't do much.

0:01:13.473,0:01:15.408
He moved left and right,[br]maybe he jumped!

0:01:15.433,0:01:17.518
It was more control than interaction.

0:01:18.522,0:01:21.900
The digital artist Jim Campbell said[br]something that struck me:

0:01:21.925,0:01:24.625
“I feel as though[br]I can interact with my cat,

0:01:24.650,0:01:26.425
but not with an ant.”

0:01:26.449,0:01:28.177
This picture explains it.

0:01:28.202,0:01:31.900
This simple fact made me rethink[br]what I understood as interaction,

0:01:31.925,0:01:34.864
which is usually considered from[br]a technological point of view

0:01:34.889,0:01:36.355
rather than a human one.

0:01:36.379,0:01:40.310
From then on, I have tried to learn[br]as much as I can about interaction.

0:01:40.334,0:01:43.364
To do that I went back to its very origin.

0:01:44.474,0:01:48.858
One of the clearest examples[br]of technology applied to interaction

0:01:48.882,0:01:50.830
is the magic lantern.

0:01:50.854,0:01:53.433
It was the first[br]image projector in history,

0:01:53.458,0:01:56.538
a distant relative of what we know[br]today as “augmented reality".

0:01:57.284,0:02:01.234
It was invented by the German scholar[br]Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century.

0:02:01.258,0:02:04.986
It was used to project images[br]in theatre performances.

0:02:05.010,0:02:08.782
Or to project images through smoke[br]to create never before seen illusions,

0:02:08.806,0:02:11.079
known as phantasmagoria.

0:02:12.206,0:02:16.600
An interesting fact is that the same[br]technique used to create this,

0:02:16.625,0:02:20.518
called “Pepper's ghost” which created[br]an optical illusion in three dimensions

0:02:20.543,0:02:23.466
is still used today to create[br]holographic images.

0:02:25.020,0:02:28.124
I was inspired by this idea,[br]light that projected images,

0:02:28.148,0:02:32.263
so in 2006, along with Alberto Garcia,[br]I developed this project

0:02:32.287,0:02:34.035
“very originally” named Magic Torch,

0:02:34.059,0:02:37.186
tapping into the element[br]of surprise and magic.

0:02:38.232,0:02:41.121
We developed this little device

0:02:41.145,0:02:44.191
full of microchips, transistors,[br]and other electrical components

0:02:44.216,0:02:47.283
that didn’t do anything[br]but helped to make it mysterious.

0:02:47.307,0:02:49.339
Some people were[br]almost afraid to touch it.

0:02:49.363,0:02:54.116
Once the torch was on, all sorts[br]of images followed the light

0:02:58.574,0:02:59.644
[ MAGIC]

0:02:59.669,0:03:03.072
It was a very simple project[br]but I learned quite a lot.

0:03:03.097,0:03:05.485
I learned that magic was the key.

0:03:05.509,0:03:06.976
Since magic isn’t my thing

0:03:07.001,0:03:10.367
I focused on technology[br]as a means to create astonishment.

0:03:10.391,0:03:14.250
In 2011, I took on a little project[br]called “Water Drops.”

0:03:14.274,0:03:16.797
I had a hard time[br]naming this one as well.

0:03:17.470,0:03:20.375
I installed a faucet that did not have[br]water running but

0:03:20.399,0:03:22.224
you could hear it dripping.

0:03:22.248,0:03:25.357
If you covered the tap with[br]your hands, the water accumulated

0:03:25.382,0:03:30.035
and once you dropped them,[br]you would hear the accumulated water fall.

0:03:30.059,0:03:32.807
I could bring forth that feeling of magic

0:03:32.831,0:03:34.924
playing with your senses

0:03:34.948,0:03:38.292
and the fact that they sometimes[br]clash with logic and reason.

0:03:38.382,0:03:43.536
(Dripping sound)

0:03:45.451,0:03:47.828
Yes, I could have chosen[br]a more tasteful faucet

0:03:47.853,0:03:51.026
but it was the only one[br]with enough space to insert the sensors.

0:03:51.051,0:03:52.090
[EXTRA-ORDINARY]

0:03:52.115,0:03:53.511
I learned that

0:03:53.536,0:03:57.234
through technology, an ordinary[br]object can become extraordinary.

0:03:57.938,0:04:01.366
In this project called Building Music,[br]making a play on words,

0:04:01.390,0:04:03.926
building music as well as[br]having a musical building,

0:04:03.951,0:04:06.920
we made a huge musical[br]instrument out of a building.

0:04:06.944,0:04:10.410
Each window played a different[br]musical note or sound

0:04:10.434,0:04:14.030
and with the light of a torch,[br]the audience could create melodies.

0:04:14.860,0:04:17.208
All the music you hear[br]in the video was created

0:04:17.233,0:04:19.690
by the participants playing[br]with the building.

0:04:19.714,0:04:22.739
(Music)

0:04:31.632,0:04:34.472
It was interesting to observe how[br]the shape of each building

0:04:34.497,0:04:37.587
and most of all, each participant[br]with the same notes available

0:04:37.611,0:04:39.910
created very different melodies.

0:04:39.934,0:04:43.393
The beauty of designing interactive[br]projects is exactly that.

0:04:43.416,0:04:46.098
The creator is always surprised,[br]because the participants

0:04:46.123,0:04:47.639
always do something unexpected.

0:04:47.663,0:04:49.786
It's guaranteed.

0:04:50.355,0:04:52.206
A work of art is never complete

0:04:52.231,0:04:53.231
[Artwork - Observer]

0:04:53.256,0:04:55.676
until it reaches the observer.

0:04:55.701,0:04:58.434
In these interactive projects,[br]we take it very literally:

0:04:58.458,0:05:00.883
with no audience, there is no project.

0:05:00.908,0:05:04.247
That is why it is imperative to make[br]the audience want to participate.

0:05:04.272,0:05:05.294
[PLEASE, INTERACT]

0:05:05.319,0:05:07.444
The interaction must overcome that barrier

0:05:07.469,0:05:10.383
and spark curiosity, awakening the senses.

0:05:10.407,0:05:12.772
For example, we all know

0:05:12.797,0:05:15.161
we love to look at ourselves.

0:05:15.185,0:05:17.552
We are amused by gazing[br]at our own reflection,

0:05:17.576,0:05:19.634
or at best by our shadow.

0:05:19.658,0:05:22.235
That is what lead to[br]Magnéticos (Magnetics),

0:05:22.260,0:05:25.307
a project where you saw yourself[br]reflected through your shadow

0:05:25.331,0:05:27.199
and you could interact with it.

0:05:27.223,0:05:30.802
In this case, household[br]objects that we all collect,

0:05:30.826,0:05:33.974
were irresistibly drawn to your shadow

0:05:33.998,0:05:36.198
and turned into an outer shell.

0:05:36.222,0:05:40.631
The next idea was: "sure,[br]we love to look at ourselves,

0:05:40.655,0:05:42.992
but it’s a lot better with an audience".

0:05:43.016,0:05:45.364
And why not see ourselves as the stars

0:05:45.388,0:05:47.665
in one of the most visited[br]places in the world?

0:05:48.873,0:05:53.190
In this project, giant models interacted[br]with pedestrians in Times Square.

0:05:54.860,0:05:57.643
To give some background,[br]this intersection has

0:05:57.667,0:06:02.433
an average of[br]350.000 visitors every day.

0:06:02.457,0:06:07.675
Until then, people looked[br]at the screens

0:06:07.699,0:06:10.204
an average of less than 6 seconds.

0:06:10.229,0:06:12.391
This project multiplied[br]this figure by 20,

0:06:12.415,0:06:14.633
now people spent more than[br]2 minutes watching,

0:06:14.657,0:06:17.195
or rather, interacting with the screen.

0:06:17.219,0:06:21.952
The key was to make the participant[br]the center of attention,

0:06:21.976,0:06:24.226
the focus of interest[br]in such a crowded place.

0:06:24.250,0:06:26.355
The models did all sorts of things to you.

0:06:26.379,0:06:29.277
They could draw a picture[br]of you, fling you in the air,

0:06:29.567,0:06:31.865
they could kiss you[br]and turn into a frog,

0:06:32.175,0:06:35.270
They could even teletransport you[br]to Egypt if they wanted to.

0:06:37.514,0:06:41.435
So far, since the beginning[br]of this project in 2010

0:06:41.459,0:06:43.804
we have set up 30 different[br]types of interactions

0:06:43.828,0:06:45.472
to keep surprising the public

0:06:45.496,0:06:47.410
and of course we will set up more.

0:06:47.829,0:06:49.836
We could call this compulsory interaction,

0:06:49.861,0:06:52.630
you walk by and the model plays with you.

0:06:53.412,0:06:55.759
We recorded the models[br]against a green screen,

0:06:55.783,0:06:58.636
then we developed[br]computer visual technology

0:06:58.660,0:07:01.174
that allowed us to identify[br]and recognize each person

0:07:01.199,0:07:03.273
that walked in front of the screen.

0:07:03.297,0:07:07.327
The system then mixes it all in real time[br]to make the interactions happen.

0:07:11.510,0:07:13.223
And speaking of having an audience,

0:07:13.248,0:07:15.320
many of us have dreamed[br]of being rock stars.

0:07:16.381,0:07:20.604
And what could beat being the star of[br]a rock band with your friends or family?

0:07:21.557,0:07:24.405
This project was installed[br]in a store in Times Square

0:07:24.429,0:07:26.974
where we set up a photo booth

0:07:26.998,0:07:28.918
that used facial recognition technology

0:07:28.942,0:07:32.411
to copy your face onto a music video

0:07:32.435,0:07:34.071
where you are the main character.

0:07:35.809,0:07:37.982
In a matter of seconds[br]the video was generated

0:07:38.007,0:07:40.323
and projected onto[br]the building across the street

0:07:40.348,0:07:42.941
so you could have[br]a knockout performance guaranteed.

0:07:44.117,0:07:45.954
In order to create this music video,

0:07:45.978,0:07:48.597
the musicians had special[br]marks on their faces

0:07:48.622,0:07:51.874
to allow the facial recognition[br]technology to use the visitor's face,

0:07:51.899,0:07:53.675
like in the following clip.

0:07:53.700,0:07:55.589
(Music)

0:08:03.159,0:08:07.175
And just as half of us have[br]wanted to be rock stars,

0:08:07.199,0:08:09.713
who hasn’t ever dreamed[br]of being a super hero?

0:08:10.343,0:08:11.755
I know I have.

0:08:12.462,0:08:15.503
This project goes back[br]to the idea of extraordinary

0:08:16.149,0:08:19.009
with a very straightforward concept:

0:08:19.033,0:08:23.456
you could fly over buildings[br]by transforming into a superhero.

0:08:26.246,0:08:28.302
(Music and robotic sounds)

0:08:38.789,0:08:42.890
And like any superhero,[br]not only could you fly

0:08:42.914,0:08:45.136
but also shoot laser beams,[br]have super speed,

0:08:45.160,0:08:48.421
clone yourself and many more[br]superpowers inspired by classic comics.

0:08:48.662,0:08:52.869
I discovered that there are many[br]types of superheroes among us.

0:08:53.484,0:08:56.563
Some who apply themselves,

0:08:56.587,0:09:00.062
Some who look forward[br]to the future... thoughtful.

0:09:00.086,0:09:01.849
Some are happy...

0:09:01.873,0:09:03.663
…very happy

0:09:03.709,0:09:06.406
And some are real pros.

0:09:07.529,0:09:10.854
So far we have given superpowers[br]to 1.600 people

0:09:10.878,0:09:12.779
and we hope to continue doing so.

0:09:12.803,0:09:15.320
Although some may[br]turn into supervillains.

0:09:18.305,0:09:20.994
In developing this project[br]we also learned that Wikipedia

0:09:21.019,0:09:23.926
has a categorized list of superpowers[br]that is 12 pages long,

0:09:23.950,0:09:26.024
it is truly remarkable!

0:09:26.048,0:09:29.169
(Applause)

0:09:30.089,0:09:32.487
As if it had official status, you know.

0:09:33.349,0:09:35.665
Just as superhero fiction

0:09:35.689,0:09:38.297
has reached Wikipedia[br]as a reality of our time,

0:09:38.321,0:09:40.789
today we are living[br]in the golden age of technology.

0:09:41.157,0:09:44.308
For some years now, we’ve had[br]cameras with software

0:09:44.332,0:09:46.909
that can literally recognize[br]where someone is,

0:09:46.933,0:09:49.336
where his arm or hand is.

0:09:49.360,0:09:52.317
They can see and[br]understand depth in pixels.

0:09:53.278,0:09:56.216
In the months to come,[br]the next versions of these devices

0:09:56.240,0:10:00.295
will be able to tell someone’s heartbeat[br]without even touching them.

0:10:00.319,0:10:03.996
It is technology like this that makes[br]possible the projects I have shown you.

0:10:04.611,0:10:08.765
But the key to all of this is not[br]in the technology and devices

0:10:08.789,0:10:12.365
but rather the reactions caused[br]by the magic of technology.

0:10:12.389,0:10:17.472
Those reactions, the surprise,[br]the curiosity, the unimaginable.

0:10:17.496,0:10:20.503
They are and always have been,[br]the driving forces of technology.

0:10:21.206,0:10:24.736
We must strive to surprise ourselves[br]in order to keep surprising the world.

0:10:24.761,0:10:25.801
(Applause)