The Media Computing Project (Winter '25/'26)
Class Information
| Lab | Wed, 14:30 - 16:00 |
| Seminar Room (3220|2.73) | |
| Language | English |
| Credits |
7 |
Important Dates
| Kickoff | 15.10.2025 |
| Final Presentations | 04.02.2026 |
The Media Computing Project is our hands-on lab ("Praktikum") for Master's students in Computer Science. Build an interactive system with an unusual user interface in hard- and software that creates an awesome user experience! It's a great gateway into our lab's research and teaching focus on User Interface Design, Human–Computer Interaction, and Personal Fabrication.
This course has limited seating. You need to register to obtain a seat in this course.
Instructors
For any questions about the class, please contact Sarah Sahabi.
Syllabus
The project topics will be announced at the kick-off event. In the project, you will build hardware and software prototypes in our Fab Lab that will match an overall theme. For this, you are not only building functioning prototypes, but also the design and a consistent user experience are important. Your goal will be to make sure that basic Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) principles are still incorporated. During the semester, you will learn:
- the role of HCI in software/hardware prototypes;
- how to use beginner-friendly ATmega-based Arduino microcontroller boards or PyBadges, and how to program interactive behavior in embedded software;
- how to create hardware and electronics components for your project using our Fab Lab;
- the role of user testing to create a great user experience.
After some quick introductions to these tools, you'll then have most of the semester to iteratively design, prototype, and test your ideas.
Example Project Trailer (WS '24)
All Projects from 2024
Fields of Study
- Informatik (M.Sc.)/Angewandte Informatik
- Media Informatics (M.Sc.)
- Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)
Course Allocation and Registration Guide
Number of SWS: P3 (Aachen)
ECTS Credits: 7 (CS) / 7 (MI)
Course language: English for all lectures, assignments, and exams
Only 32 seats are available for this course. To get a seat in this course, you have to register for it in SUPRA in the appropriate timeframe during the lecture period one semester before the course is scheduled to start.
Please note that the course takes place in person and that attendance is required for all presentation sessions. Failing to appear without a medical certificate on any of these dates results in failing the course.
Read the 
Ethical Guidelines for the Authoring of Academic Work (Ethische Richtlinien für das Verfassen wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten).