A Modular and Extensible Hardware Platform Prototype for Dynamic Data Physicalisation

Dynamic data physicalisation is an emerging field of research, investigating the representation and exploration of data via multiple modalities, extending beyond traditional visual methods. Despite the development of various data physicalisation applications in recent years, the integration of diverse hardware components remains both time-consuming and costly. Further, there is a lack of solutions for rapid prototyping and experimentation with different dynamic data physicalisation alternatives. To address this problem, we propose a modular and extensible hardware platform for dynamic data physicalisation. This platform introduces a communication architecture that ensures seamless plug-and-play functionality for modules representing different physical variables. We detail the implementation and technical evaluation of an initial prototype of our platform, demonstrating its potential to facilitate rapid prototyping and experimentation with various data physicalisation designs. This platform aims to support researchers and developers in the field by providing a versatile and efficient tool for the rapid prototyping and experimentation with different data physicalisation design alternatives.