1
00:00:01,623 --> 00:00:04,615
Let’s face it, that button has something
that draws us to it.

2
00:00:04,639 --> 00:00:06,376
We can’t resist pressing it.

3
00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,129
Just as curiosity sparks our interest
in our surroundings,

4
00:00:09,153 --> 00:00:12,065
it’s the question of what might happen
if we press that button

5
00:00:12,090 --> 00:00:13,391
that makes it irresistible.

6
00:00:13,518 --> 00:00:16,104
Today almost everything,
even this talk, begins or ends

7
00:00:16,129 --> 00:00:17,571
by pressing a button.

8
00:00:17,595 --> 00:00:19,734
Now buttons are nothing new,

9
00:00:19,758 --> 00:00:21,813
when TV became mainstream,
we had buttons,

10
00:00:21,838 --> 00:00:25,029
but they just changed the channels,
nothing surprising.

11
00:00:25,593 --> 00:00:28,657
After the age of passive TV viewing
videogames arrived.

12
00:00:29,979 --> 00:00:32,595
Nothing crazy, but now buttons
did something else.

13
00:00:32,621 --> 00:00:35,524
They had more than a single purpose
and became programmable,

14
00:00:35,549 --> 00:00:38,825
so now you had to press them
to know what they did.

15
00:00:40,301 --> 00:00:43,236
That sparked our curiosity:
the mystery of the button.

16
00:00:44,174 --> 00:00:46,214
Then the 80s came along.

17
00:00:46,477 --> 00:00:50,947
I grew up when videogames became popular,
especially game consoles.

18
00:00:51,647 --> 00:00:55,228
This was the start of interactive
entertainment mediated by technology.

19
00:00:56,284 --> 00:00:59,238
Although I lost often, as you can see,
I got hooked.

20
00:00:59,263 --> 00:01:02,016
With that upbringing,
I wanted everything to have buttons.

21
00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,614
Even if nowadays they don't have
a button's shape or are invisible

22
00:01:06,104 --> 00:01:08,137
The button leads to an interaction.

23
00:01:08,983 --> 00:01:13,449
In the first videogames,
the "bad guy" didn't do much.

24
00:01:13,473 --> 00:01:15,408
He moved left and right,
maybe he jumped!

25
00:01:15,433 --> 00:01:17,518
It was more control than interaction.

26
00:01:18,522 --> 00:01:21,900
The digital artist Jim Campbell said
something that struck me:

27
00:01:21,925 --> 00:01:24,625
“I feel as though
I can interact with my cat,

28
00:01:24,650 --> 00:01:26,425
but not with an ant.”

29
00:01:26,449 --> 00:01:28,177
This picture explains it.

30
00:01:28,202 --> 00:01:31,900
This simple fact made me rethink
what I understood as interaction,

31
00:01:31,925 --> 00:01:34,864
which is usually considered from
a technological point of view

32
00:01:34,889 --> 00:01:36,355
rather than a human one.

33
00:01:36,379 --> 00:01:40,310
From then on, I have tried to learn
as much as I can about interaction.

34
00:01:40,334 --> 00:01:43,364
To do that I went back to its very origin.

35
00:01:44,474 --> 00:01:48,858
One of the clearest examples
of technology applied to interaction

36
00:01:48,882 --> 00:01:50,830
is the magic lantern.

37
00:01:50,854 --> 00:01:53,433
It was the first
image projector in history,

38
00:01:53,458 --> 00:01:56,538
a distant relative of what we know
today as “augmented reality".

39
00:01:57,284 --> 00:02:01,234
It was invented by the German scholar
Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century.

40
00:02:01,258 --> 00:02:04,986
It was used to project images
in theatre performances.

41
00:02:05,010 --> 00:02:08,782
Or to project images through smoke
to create never before seen illusions,

42
00:02:08,806 --> 00:02:11,079
known as phantasmagoria.

43
00:02:12,206 --> 00:02:16,600
An interesting fact is that the same
technique used to create this,

44
00:02:16,625 --> 00:02:20,518
called “Pepper's ghost” which created
an optical illusion in three dimensions

45
00:02:20,543 --> 00:02:23,466
is still used today to create
holographic images.

46
00:02:25,020 --> 00:02:28,124
I was inspired by this idea,
light that projected images,

47
00:02:28,148 --> 00:02:32,263
so in 2006, along with Alberto Garcia,
I developed this project

48
00:02:32,287 --> 00:02:34,035
“very originally” named Magic Torch,

49
00:02:34,059 --> 00:02:37,186
tapping into the element
of surprise and magic.

50
00:02:38,232 --> 00:02:41,121
We developed this little device

51
00:02:41,145 --> 00:02:44,191
full of microchips, transistors,
and other electrical components

52
00:02:44,216 --> 00:02:47,283
that didn’t do anything
but helped to make it mysterious.

53
00:02:47,307 --> 00:02:49,339
Some people were
almost afraid to touch it.

54
00:02:49,363 --> 00:02:54,116
Once the torch was on, all sorts
of images followed the light

55
00:02:58,574 --> 00:02:59,644
[ MAGIC]

56
00:02:59,669 --> 00:03:03,072
It was a very simple project
but I learned quite a lot.

57
00:03:03,097 --> 00:03:05,485
I learned that magic was the key.

58
00:03:05,509 --> 00:03:06,976
Since magic isn’t my thing

59
00:03:07,001 --> 00:03:10,367
I focused on technology
as a means to create astonishment.

60
00:03:10,391 --> 00:03:14,250
In 2011, I took on a little project
called “Water Drops.”

61
00:03:14,274 --> 00:03:16,797
I had a hard time
naming this one as well.

62
00:03:17,470 --> 00:03:20,375
I installed a faucet that did not have
water running but

63
00:03:20,399 --> 00:03:22,224
you could hear it dripping.

64
00:03:22,248 --> 00:03:25,357
If you covered the tap with
your hands, the water accumulated

65
00:03:25,382 --> 00:03:30,035
and once you dropped them,
you would hear the accumulated water fall.

66
00:03:30,059 --> 00:03:32,807
I could bring forth that feeling of magic

67
00:03:32,831 --> 00:03:34,924
playing with your senses

68
00:03:34,948 --> 00:03:38,292
and the fact that they sometimes
clash with logic and reason.

69
00:03:38,382 --> 00:03:43,536
(Dripping sound)

70
00:03:45,451 --> 00:03:47,828
Yes, I could have chosen
a more tasteful faucet

71
00:03:47,853 --> 00:03:51,026
but it was the only one
with enough space to insert the sensors.

72
00:03:51,051 --> 00:03:52,090
[EXTRA-ORDINARY]

73
00:03:52,115 --> 00:03:53,511
I learned that

74
00:03:53,536 --> 00:03:57,234
through technology, an ordinary
object can become extraordinary.

75
00:03:57,938 --> 00:04:01,366
In this project called Building Music,
making a play on words,

76
00:04:01,390 --> 00:04:03,926
building music as well as
having a musical building,

77
00:04:03,951 --> 00:04:06,920
we made a huge musical
instrument out of a building.

78
00:04:06,944 --> 00:04:10,410
Each window played a different
musical note or sound

79
00:04:10,434 --> 00:04:14,030
and with the light of a torch,
the audience could create melodies.

80
00:04:14,860 --> 00:04:17,208
All the music you hear
in the video was created

81
00:04:17,233 --> 00:04:19,690
by the participants playing
with the building.

82
00:04:19,714 --> 00:04:22,739
(Music)

83
00:04:31,632 --> 00:04:34,472
It was interesting to observe how
the shape of each building

84
00:04:34,497 --> 00:04:37,587
and most of all, each participant
with the same notes available

85
00:04:37,611 --> 00:04:39,910
created very different melodies.

86
00:04:39,934 --> 00:04:43,393
The beauty of designing interactive
projects is exactly that.

87
00:04:43,416 --> 00:04:46,098
The creator is always surprised,
because the participants

88
00:04:46,123 --> 00:04:47,639
always do something unexpected.

89
00:04:47,663 --> 00:04:49,786
It's guaranteed.

90
00:04:50,355 --> 00:04:52,206
A work of art is never complete

91
00:04:52,231 --> 00:04:53,231
[Artwork - Observer]

92
00:04:53,256 --> 00:04:55,676
until it reaches the observer.

93
00:04:55,701 --> 00:04:58,434
In these interactive projects,
we take it very literally:

94
00:04:58,458 --> 00:05:00,883
with no audience, there is no project.

95
00:05:00,908 --> 00:05:04,247
That is why it is imperative to make
the audience want to participate.

96
00:05:04,272 --> 00:05:05,294
[PLEASE, INTERACT]

97
00:05:05,319 --> 00:05:07,444
The interaction must overcome that barrier

98
00:05:07,469 --> 00:05:10,383
and spark curiosity, awakening the senses.

99
00:05:10,407 --> 00:05:12,772
For example, we all know

100
00:05:12,797 --> 00:05:15,161
we love to look at ourselves.

101
00:05:15,185 --> 00:05:17,552
We are amused by gazing
at our own reflection,

102
00:05:17,576 --> 00:05:19,634
or at best by our shadow.

103
00:05:19,658 --> 00:05:22,235
That is what lead to
Magnéticos (Magnetics),

104
00:05:22,260 --> 00:05:25,307
a project where you saw yourself
reflected through your shadow

105
00:05:25,331 --> 00:05:27,199
and you could interact with it.

106
00:05:27,223 --> 00:05:30,802
In this case, household
objects that we all collect,

107
00:05:30,826 --> 00:05:33,974
were irresistibly drawn to your shadow

108
00:05:33,998 --> 00:05:36,198
and turned into an outer shell.

109
00:05:36,222 --> 00:05:40,631
The next idea was: "sure,
we love to look at ourselves,

110
00:05:40,655 --> 00:05:42,992
but it’s a lot better with an audience".

111
00:05:43,016 --> 00:05:45,364
And why not see ourselves as the stars

112
00:05:45,388 --> 00:05:47,665
in one of the most visited
places in the world?

113
00:05:48,873 --> 00:05:53,190
In this project, giant models interacted
with pedestrians in Times Square.

114
00:05:54,860 --> 00:05:57,643
To give some background,
this intersection has

115
00:05:57,667 --> 00:06:02,433
an average of
350.000 visitors every day.

116
00:06:02,457 --> 00:06:07,675
Until then, people looked
at the screens

117
00:06:07,699 --> 00:06:10,204
an average of less than 6 seconds.

118
00:06:10,229 --> 00:06:12,391
This project multiplied
this figure by 20,

119
00:06:12,415 --> 00:06:14,633
now people spent more than
2 minutes watching,

120
00:06:14,657 --> 00:06:17,195
or rather, interacting with the screen.

121
00:06:17,219 --> 00:06:21,952
The key was to make the participant
the center of attention,

122
00:06:21,976 --> 00:06:24,226
the focus of interest
in such a crowded place.

123
00:06:24,250 --> 00:06:26,355
The models did all sorts of things to you.

124
00:06:26,379 --> 00:06:29,277
They could draw a picture
of you, fling you in the air,

125
00:06:29,567 --> 00:06:31,865
they could kiss you
and turn into a frog,

126
00:06:32,175 --> 00:06:35,270
They could even teletransport you
to Egypt if they wanted to.

127
00:06:37,514 --> 00:06:41,435
So far, since the beginning
of this project in 2010

128
00:06:41,459 --> 00:06:43,804
we have set up 30 different
types of interactions

129
00:06:43,828 --> 00:06:45,472
to keep surprising the public

130
00:06:45,496 --> 00:06:47,410
and of course we will set up more.

131
00:06:47,829 --> 00:06:49,836
We could call this compulsory interaction,

132
00:06:49,861 --> 00:06:52,630
you walk by and the model plays with you.

133
00:06:53,412 --> 00:06:55,759
We recorded the models
against a green screen,

134
00:06:55,783 --> 00:06:58,636
then we developed
computer visual technology

135
00:06:58,660 --> 00:07:01,174
that allowed us to identify
and recognize each person

136
00:07:01,199 --> 00:07:03,273
that walked in front of the screen.

137
00:07:03,297 --> 00:07:07,327
The system then mixes it all in real time
to make the interactions happen.

138
00:07:11,510 --> 00:07:13,223
And speaking of having an audience,

139
00:07:13,248 --> 00:07:15,320
many of us have dreamed
of being rock stars.

140
00:07:16,381 --> 00:07:20,604
And what could beat being the star of
a rock band with your friends or family?

141
00:07:21,557 --> 00:07:24,405
This project was installed
in a store in Times Square

142
00:07:24,429 --> 00:07:26,974
where we set up a photo booth

143
00:07:26,998 --> 00:07:28,918
that used facial recognition technology

144
00:07:28,942 --> 00:07:32,411
to copy your face onto a music video

145
00:07:32,435 --> 00:07:34,071
where you are the main character.

146
00:07:35,809 --> 00:07:37,982
In a matter of seconds
the video was generated

147
00:07:38,007 --> 00:07:40,323
and projected onto
the building across the street

148
00:07:40,348 --> 00:07:42,941
so you could have
a knockout performance guaranteed.

149
00:07:44,117 --> 00:07:45,954
In order to create this music video,

150
00:07:45,978 --> 00:07:48,597
the musicians had special
marks on their faces

151
00:07:48,622 --> 00:07:51,874
to allow the facial recognition
technology to use the visitor's face,

152
00:07:51,899 --> 00:07:53,675
like in the following clip.

153
00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:55,589
(Music)

154
00:08:03,159 --> 00:08:07,175
And just as half of us have
wanted to be rock stars,

155
00:08:07,199 --> 00:08:09,713
who hasn’t ever dreamed
of being a super hero?

156
00:08:10,343 --> 00:08:11,755
I know I have.

157
00:08:12,462 --> 00:08:15,503
This project goes back
to the idea of extraordinary

158
00:08:16,149 --> 00:08:19,009
with a very straightforward concept:

159
00:08:19,033 --> 00:08:23,456
you could fly over buildings
by transforming into a superhero.

160
00:08:26,246 --> 00:08:28,302
(Music and robotic sounds)

161
00:08:38,789 --> 00:08:42,890
And like any superhero,
not only could you fly

162
00:08:42,914 --> 00:08:45,136
but also shoot laser beams,
have super speed,

163
00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,421
clone yourself and many more
superpowers inspired by classic comics.

164
00:08:48,662 --> 00:08:52,869
I discovered that there are many
types of superheroes among us.

165
00:08:53,484 --> 00:08:56,563
Some who apply themselves,

166
00:08:56,587 --> 00:09:00,062
Some who look forward
to the future... thoughtful.

167
00:09:00,086 --> 00:09:01,849
Some are happy...

168
00:09:01,873 --> 00:09:03,663
…very happy

169
00:09:03,709 --> 00:09:06,406
And some are real pros.

170
00:09:07,529 --> 00:09:10,854
So far we have given superpowers
to 1.600 people

171
00:09:10,878 --> 00:09:12,779
and we hope to continue doing so.

172
00:09:12,803 --> 00:09:15,320
Although some may
turn into supervillains.

173
00:09:18,305 --> 00:09:20,994
In developing this project
we also learned that Wikipedia

174
00:09:21,019 --> 00:09:23,926
has a categorized list of superpowers
that is 12 pages long,

175
00:09:23,950 --> 00:09:26,024
it is truly remarkable!

176
00:09:26,048 --> 00:09:29,169
(Applause)

177
00:09:30,089 --> 00:09:32,487
As if it had official status, you know.

178
00:09:33,349 --> 00:09:35,665
Just as superhero fiction

179
00:09:35,689 --> 00:09:38,297
has reached Wikipedia
as a reality of our time,

180
00:09:38,321 --> 00:09:40,789
today we are living
in the golden age of technology.

181
00:09:41,157 --> 00:09:44,308
For some years now, we’ve had
cameras with software

182
00:09:44,332 --> 00:09:46,909
that can literally recognize
where someone is,

183
00:09:46,933 --> 00:09:49,336
where his arm or hand is.

184
00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,317
They can see and
understand depth in pixels.

185
00:09:53,278 --> 00:09:56,216
In the months to come,
the next versions of these devices

186
00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:00,295
will be able to tell someone’s heartbeat
without even touching them.

187
00:10:00,319 --> 00:10:03,996
It is technology like this that makes
possible the projects I have shown you.

188
00:10:04,611 --> 00:10:08,765
But the key to all of this is not
in the technology and devices

189
00:10:08,789 --> 00:10:12,365
but rather the reactions caused
by the magic of technology.

190
00:10:12,389 --> 00:10:17,472
Those reactions, the surprise,
the curiosity, the unimaginable.

191
00:10:17,496 --> 00:10:20,503
They are and always have been,
the driving forces of technology.

192
00:10:21,206 --> 00:10:24,736
We must strive to surprise ourselves
in order to keep surprising the world.

193
00:10:24,761 --> 00:10:25,801
(Applause)