computer science

I-CubeX

I-CubeX is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand I-CubeX rather than just read about it. In short: I-CubeX comprises a system of sensors, actuators and interfaces that are configured by a personal computer. Using MIDI, Bluetooth or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) as the basis for all communication, the complexity is managed behind a variety of software tools, including an end-user configuration editor, Max (software) plugins, and a C++ Application Programming Interface (API), which allows applications to be develo…

Key takeaways

I-CubeX belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect I-CubeX to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of I-CubeX from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

I-CubeX comprises a system of sensors, actuators and interfaces that are configured by a personal computer. Using MIDI, Bluetooth or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) as the basis for all communication, the complexity is managed behind a variety of software tools, including an end-user configuration editor, Max (software) plugins, and a C++ Application Programming Interface (API), which allows applications to be developed in Mac OS X, Linux and Windows operating systems. Usage is primarily focused on allowing exploration and construction of alternative physical computer interaction systems, but have most notably been adopted by music enthusiasts, as they greatly simplify musical instrument mods and creation of novel electronic musical instruments, MIDI controllers and audio control surfaces (such as presented at NIME), e.g. for electronic music generation, and visual artists, as they greatly simplify interactive installation art and electronic art (such as presented at Ars Electronica and SIGGRAPH). In both cases, it is extensively used for teaching. It allows the construction of complex interactive systems out of simpler components. I-CubeX is designed and produced by Infusion Systems.

History I-CubeX arose out of a research project in 1995 directed by Axel Mulder at the Department of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University to address the need for better tools for artists to create interactive art and for musicians to more easily create or modify musical instruments. It was inspired by projects such as STEIM's Sensorlab. While I-CubeX helped opening up access to technology for artists interested in sensor technology, it in itself inspired others to create new technology. The field evolved into physical computing and it was followed by the creation of a number of other generic platforms for applying sensor technology in the (performing) arts such as Arduino, as well as the development of very application specific sensors for human interfacing and human interface devices. While the focus of I-CubeX technology was initially on translating sensor signals to MIDI (Digitizer, microDig) for music enthusiasts, the transmission protocols now include Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi (WiDig), Bluetooth Classic (Wi-microDig) and USB (WiDig, USB-microDig) so as to facilitate its use by all kinds of researchers and engineers, as well as MIDI.

See also Electronic musical instruments MIDI controllers Audio control surface Sensors Multimodal interaction Human computer interaction Human interface device Assistive technology Brain-computer interface

References

External links About I-CubeX

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with I-CubeX

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what I-CubeX claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to I-CubeX before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about I-CubeX ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of I-CubeX

In research: I-CubeX appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses I-CubeX in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: I-CubeX is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing input devices, Electronic musical instruments, Multimodal interaction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for I-CubeX outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study I-CubeX in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what I-CubeX means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain I-CubeX out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is I-CubeX in simple terms?

Why does I-CubeX matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study I-CubeX?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on I-CubeX.