The Loom: Interactive Weaving Through a Tangible Installation with Digital Feedback

The design of hybrid interactions, which involve both tangible and digital aspects, is a recent trend in interactive systems for cultural heritage because it adds physicality to the interaction and affords sociality of experience. The paper presents the approach for the design, prototyping and evaluation of an interactive loom at an industrial museum with which visitors can experiment and play to gain awareness about the weaving process. The system comprises of a small-scale (shoebox-sized), simplified loom replica made of wood that is connected through appropriate (Arduino) sensors to an interactive application (Unity) that digitally recreates and enhances the outcomes of user interaction onto a multitouch screen. We found that hybrid interaction is important for educational reasons because it supports constructivist learning, which favors exploration, active learning and experimentation over passive consumption of information. Also, the approach is suitable for engaging younger people, who often do not find much interest in museum visits.