Kuangxi Cui

Kuangxi is an interdisciplinary researcher and designer who navigates any swamp of information, gains insights, identifies patterns, constructs and overhauls systems.

She helps the systems take shape into a kaleidoscope of facts and details with a combination of rigorous extrapolation and unbridled flexibility.

Academically trained as an architecture/innovation student, her explorations cover a wide range of fields including wireless communication, acoustic environment, smart material, human-plant interface, pharmaceutical information, etc. Skills cover analysis, multimedia communication, procedural/interactive 3D packages, simulation, etc.

Rippling is a construction/furnish material that could help us develop electromagnetic furniture for a Wi-Fi friendly architecture.

The project tries to improve wireless signal efficiency at a novel intervention point, not the end points of a signal channel but the channel itself, the environment in which signals propagate.

It is a decorative panel that guides signals to where you need them, a door that invites signals into your bedroom, a lamp that focuses signals onto your desk, a passive, cost effective and sustainable network solution, as well as a tangible, intuitive, user-friendly interface enabling a new human-wave interaction.

Future challenge for wireless solutions – What if we can enhance signal efficiency with a wireless friendly architecture?

Human-wave interface: a basic building block for a wireless friendly environment

Rippling is a material that could interact with incident Wifi signals in ways like reflect, pass, focus, etc, for you to engineer the signalscape, construct the path between you and the router, guiding signals to where you need them, and absorbing less signal energy along the way. Together with an interactive visualisation platform for a better understanding of the signal condition and strategic placement of said surface, it could serve as an interface between people and the waves.

Electromagnetic Engineered Surface(EES) technology – The material is developed with Electromagnetic Engineered Surface(EES) technology, composed of one or two metallic layers printed on top of dielectric substrate and is usually fabricated with Printable Electronics(PE) techniques. The electromagnetic property/function of the surface is in relation to the geometry of the conducting area as resonant elements.

EM furniture as a part of network infrastructure

four categories

Single sheet reflector prototype

Prototyping the reflector

Human-wave interface: a basic building block for a wireless friendly environment, media item 7

Deployment process

UI I - Digital profile of your home

UI II - Choose/Arrange EM furniture to enhance signal condition

UI III - Reflector product page

UI IV - Transmitter product page

Workflow framework

Workflow I - Understand signal distribution with a wave propagation model

Workflow II - Analysis and Improvement

Stakeholder map

This project would not have been possible without the generous help from: Chen Li, Huimuk Jang, Ruoqi Wu, Yuanjun Shen, Zixuan Huang.

Deepest appreciation to: Damon Rostron, David Perkins, Oscar Eaton, Tania Bozinovska, Xiaowu Jiang for your knowledge, expertise and reference, and all people who provided insights, feedback, suggestions, encouragement and recognition in the process.

It has been a great pleasure going on the journey with you all.

Kuangxi Cui

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About

Royal College of Art

Kuangxi Cui

China Scholarship Council, full scholarship

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About

Royal College of Art