Concrete Theory Consults a Dictionary

I think one of the biggest issues with the final project is the lack of a definition for 'heliotropic smart surface'. I'm actually going to tackle the words in reverse order in order to build a definition that is hopefully useful..

People appear to be running around willy-nilly with the idea that "you can call anything that is on this planet a surface", as is reflected by the ideas of some of the other groups. I'm pretty sure that the word surface has an actual definition, but I...

Main Entry: 1sur·face
Pronunciation: \ˈsər-fəs\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from sur- + face face, from Old French — more at face
Date: circa 1600
1 : the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body
2 : a plane or curved two-dimensional locus of points (as the boundary of a three-dimensional region)
3 a : the external or superficial aspect of something b : an external part or layer
— on the surface : to all outward appearances

Oh, there it is. Now, the key here is definition # 2, the locus of points argument. Anything can really be made into a locus of points, as long as there are at least 3 of them. My uncle is a programmer, and one of the things that he has worked on is a set of geographical overlays - taking bulk data and mapping it onto an actual geographical map. The map could then be deemed a surface. There's the argument for a coordinated set of individual objects being a 'surface'. Well played, other groups, well played. Just remember, each object is only a data point on the surface.

The big issue with this is that the surface can't just be a surface, it also has to be 'smart'. This means that there has to be some change to the individual point data based on an outside stimulus, and the whole map has to update to reflect that change. The update has to be automatic, and done entirely by the system itself, or else it isn't really the surface being 'smart', it is a person being smart. We're already pretty smart, so that's not very revolutionary.

The final hurdle is the heliotropism. This one's tricky. Webster, can you help me out again?

Main Entry: he·li·ot·ro·pism
Pronunciation: \ˌhē-lē-ˈä-trə-ˌpi-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: circa 1854
: phototropism in which sunlight is the orienting stimulus
— he·lio·tro·pic \-lē-ə-ˈtrō-pik, -ˈträ-\ adjective

Well, that helped almost none. Let's try this again.

Main Entry: pho·tot·ro·pism
Pronunciation: \fō-ˈtä-trə-ˌpi-zəm\
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary
Date: 1899
: a tropism in which light is the orienting stimulus

Well, aren't you clever. Can I get an answer now, please?

Main Entry: tro·pism
Pronunciation: \ˈtrō-ˌpi-zəm\
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary -tropism
Date: 1899
1 a : involuntary orientation by an organism or one of its parts that involves turning or curving by movement or by differential growth and is a positive or negative response to a source of stimulation b : a reflex reaction involving a tropism
2 : an innate tendency to react in a definite manner to stimuli; broadly : a natural inclination : propensity
— tro·pis·tic \trō-ˈpis-tik\ adjective

Well played, Webster, well played. Let me boil this down.

Heliotropism is an involuntary orientation [reflex orientation] by an organism or one of its parts that involves turning or curving by movement or by differential growth, and is a positive or negative response to [sunlight].

OR

Heliotropism is an innate tendency to react in a definite manner to [sunlight]

Wow, that definition is pretty broad. So, it sees the sun, and it does something. Awesome.

So, to summarize, our objective is to design a surface, either an actual surface or a locus of point objects that are connected in a map, that reacts in some way to sunlight and updates the configuration of the surface or the layout of the map automatically. By definition, human interaction can not be a stimulus that the surface reacts directly to, but instead can fit into the category of data. The only way that I can see human interaction being a stimulus is if the interaction causes an absence of sunlight, or a change in intensity of sunlight. There can be secondary characteristics that the surface reacts with based on human interaction, but the sun is the primary stimulus.

Hopefully this helps people by becoming a constraint.