Alien Staff

Here are two examples of Alien Staffs form stuff.mit.edu

Wodiczko created the Alien Staff in 1992. It was made for immigrants for storytelling and legal and ethical communication. It gives the holder a chance to directly address whoever is attracted by it. The Alien Staff looks like a shepherd's rod with a mini video monitor, a loud speaker, and electrodes. It also has containers to hold green cards and other important documents. It is connected to a laptop, field sensing circuitry, and a battery that are all held in a shoulder bag. the laptop is used for video indexing and retrieving. The mini monitor is small and at eye-level. This not only makes it easy for the user to view it but it requires whoever the immigrant is talking to to come closer to the staff and the immigrant's face. a picture of the immigrant's face is on the monitor which gives an imagined or experienced perception like a character or an actor. Imagination and the actual experience start to increase and the program shows unexpected aspects of the immigrant's life. This makes the immigrant's presence legitimate and real. This change in perception might make a stranger talking to the immigrant have more respect for him/her.