With the increasing mobility and connectivity of technological devices in smart cities, games are also used to address urban challenges like citizenship or equality. In my thesis, I argue that the design of many of these game solutions does not fit the challenge they try to address. For example, Pokémon Go ultimately became more a social facilitator than a pure for-profit app, while Geocaching for education purposes has proven ineffective. In order to assess the efficacy of the design of these solutions and suggest future improvements, I introduce an interdisciplinary method called ‘The Action Space Analysis’ which can be used to measure and judge how well the design fits with a challenge. First, I suggest a perspective on game design focused on the acceptance that whatever possible actions are contained in the game, some player will play them. Secondly, the city challenges are understood as the pursuit of a city model, an understanding of how you want the city to be. The action space analysis takes a game design and uncovers all possible actions of the game to check and score how well these actions fit the city model pursued. This checks how present the possibility is of players performing the desired actions from the city model. I check this for Geocaching, Ontdek Overvecht, Cities: Skylines, and Pokémon Go. The action space analysis works as validation method that allows designers to improve their games, critics to analyse city solutions better, and municipalities to pass informed judgment on suggested solutions.
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Additions to the book "Systems Design and Engineering" by Bonnema et.al. Subjects were chosen based on the Systems Engineering needs for Small and Medium Enterprises, as researched in the SESAME project. The
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An important step towards improving performance while reducing weight and maintenance needs is the integration of composite materials into mechanical and aerospace engineering. This subject explores the many aspects of composite application, from basic material characterization to state-of-the-art advances in manufacturing and design processes. The major goal is to present the most recent developments in composite science and technology while highlighting their critical significance in the industrial sector—most notably in the wind energy, automotive, aerospace, and marine domains. The foundation of this investigation is material characterization, which offers insights into the mechanical, chemical, and physical characteristics that determine composite performance. The papers in this collection discuss the difficulties of gaining an in-depth understanding of composites, which is necessary to maximize their overall performance and design. The collection of articles within this topic addresses the challenges of achieving a profound understanding of composites, which is essential for optimizing design and overall functionality. This includes the application of complicated material modeling together with cutting-edge simulation tools that integrate multiscale methods and multiphysics, the creation of novel characterization techniques, and the integration of nanotechnology and additive manufacturing. This topic offers a detailed overview of the current state and future directions of composite research, covering experimental studies, theoretical evaluations, and numerical simulations. This subject provides a platform for interdisciplinary cooperation and creativity in everything from the processing and testing of innovative composite structures to the inspection and repair procedures. In order to support the development of more effective, durable, and sustainable materials for the mechanical and aerospace engineering industries, we seek to promote a greater understanding of composites.
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Recomposing E-Waste introduces circular strategies to sound artists and designers working with digital music instruments (DMIs) such as desktop synthesizers, small keyboards and controllers, and experimental hardware and software for sound art and music production. It explores and documents the re-purposing of obsolete smartphones, transforming them into fully working DMIs that can be used to create new sound works and music. The target groups are artists, designers and musicians working with sound and digital technology who are looking for ways to reinvent their practice in sustainable ways, depending less on the latest ICT equipment. The research is designed to address the goal number 3, “Extending product life”, of the National Circular Economy Programme 2023-2030 (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management 2023). Waag Futurelab and Willem de Kooning Academy (Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, RUAS) will collaborate with Codarts University of the Arts, postmarketOS, Fairphone, ThePhoneLab and FIBER Foundation to develop a prototype DMI made entirely from obsolete smartphones and other repurposed materials. The DMI will be used to teach, validate and disseminate innovative artistic and design research strategies that provide cultural practitioners with training in digital tools, know-how, and a conceptual framework to combine creativity with circularity. It will exemplify how to increase the functional lifespan of mobile devices through reverse-engineering and repurposing, reducing thereby the resource use and waste that often accompanies digital cultural production. The outcomes of the research will equip creatives with practical strategies to resist planned obsolescence, the market strategy the ICT industry deploys to increase the sales of newer devices and make still-working hardware seemingly useless. This will enable artists to play a guiding role in reshaping our society’s relationship with digital devices, not only on a symbolic but also on a functional and material level.
