Every year people build amazing things and install them all over the site. Here’s a rundown of some of the projects coming to EMF this year.
Bar Arm
Behind the bar you’ll find a robotic barman in the form of an ex-laboratory robot arm mounted on a mobility scooter. It’ll try and serve you drinks, but we can’t promise it won’t throw them at you instead.
A Tune On A Stick
Somewhere on-site you’ll find a lighthouse-like structure making strange noises. It plays a tune while spinning around - what it plays depends on who is nearby. Find some friends and try standing around it in a circle.
Giant Pixel Sign
A giant interactive sign made up of 900 RGB LEDS controllable from your web browser, lurking somewhere in the dark. Upload your own artwork, or your favourite gif!
Robobutler
Desperate for some Club Mate but don’t want to move? Call the Robobutler! He’ll trundle across the site and deliver you a tasty beverage, hopefully without destroying tents in his rush to do your bidding.
The·Grid
A large forest of radiant “trees”. As you move through the·grid it senses your presence and initiates a ripple of light & clicks, however it will be used in several ways - expect a multiplayer maze amongst other things!
Giant Ride-on Duck
The folks from Tog in Dublin have built a giant duck you can drive around. We don’t know why, but we want a go anyway. https://vine.co/v/M0rAKu2TllX
ISS Tracker
This giant arrow will spend all weekend tirelessly pointing at the current location of the International Space Station. Unfortunately there will be no visible ISS passes during EMF, so (time permitting) an interface is planned to allow pointing at other astronomical points of interest.
Buggy
The buggy that almost self-destructed hauling things around EMF in 2012 has been repaired and is better than ever, with a new trailer for hauling your equipment around and a smattering of ridiculous addons. Internet-connected golf cart anyone?
Retro Gaming
Back by popular demand the retro gaming tent has ballooned in size! Expect to find full-size arcade cabinets, pinball, and every retro console you can think of.
BigHak
Adding to our list of autonomous vehicles is BigHak, a giant ridable version of the Big Trak toy you may have had as a child. Either drive it manually, or program it Big Trak-style with the accompanying phone app - we have a prize for the first person to successfully program it to navigate to the bar from their tent!
Cocktail Barbot
Somewhere in the Nottinghack village you’ll find a two meter long automatic bar. Choose a drink from the menu, insert a glass at one end and get a cocktail down the other - even down to the tiny umbrella and slice of lemon.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t8FkHKf_Bs
Fireflies
Balloons floating high above the site listen for noise and tell one another how loud it is. As the pings move between them they pulse with colour, lighting up colourfully in waves across the site.
Giant Hammock
In 2012 we had a giant hammock made from fishing nets - in 2014 we’ll have an even bigger one!
Kite Arch
24 kites mounted on a long cable - once the wind gets up the arch takes off! As the weekend progresses they’ll be being decorated as an ongoing workshop.
The LHS Bikeshed
The LHS Bikeshed is a 3 player starship disaster simulator in a caravan. Players are trained to fly the ship and then given a short scenario that inevitably ends up with them being exploded, burned, suffocated or smeared across the surface of a planet. Find three friends and set off into the galaxy!
SHOAL
An amazing sea of fish that respond to touch. Individual fish light up and move, before spreading colour, light and motion through the entire SHOAL. The fish tell their friends what’s happening and a motor means all the fish can swim in the same direction, or turn to face someone who has come to play!
Pacman! On a Sphere!
A version of Pacman that is played on an actual real-world sphere. The pac-man player must run around the projected sphere trying to find all the pills, whilst up to another four players play the ghosts trying to hunt him down!
The Nuclear Poker Bunker
A half-size Hexayurt Quad Dome, within which people play Nuclear Poker, a card game designed to teach Generals too young to remember the Cold War about Mutually Assured Destruction.
The Kinematocinegraph
A chance to sit out in the night air and quietly enjoy flickering images from the past. A small antique box contains a projector filled with silent films from Archive.org - sit, be calm, and watch films for as long as you like.
Pedal Power
Two pedal power generators powering a small sound system, a bubble machine and LED lights in the evening. Get some exercise!
Meteonome
Hidden in the villages is a large umbrella adorned with meteorological equipment, generating a weather-related soundscape and light show for those standing underneath.
Are you bringing an amazing project to EMF this year? Let us know! shiny@emfcamp.org
Original Post: Announcing the shiny things!
