CUBE is composed of “CUBE sensors” and “CUBE servers.” The CUBE sensor is literally a cube-shaped device that connects directly to the internet. Combined with various sensors, it captures numerous types of information such as sound, brightness, and human traffic, transmitting this data to the CUBE server. CUBE offers an easy way to access real-time information from the surrounding environment. The unit is portable and can be installed anywhere; simply connecting it to the internet makes it operational. When the CUBE server receives data from the sensors, it converts the data into XML, making it applicable to web and spatial installations. Users can visualize the information in various ways, depending on the artwork or event where CUBE is applied.

Beginning with Tokyo Designers Block in 2004, h.o has used CUBE as the core system in numerous public space projects, culminating in a campus installation in 2006. The initial involvement in Tokyo Designers Block (TDB) was a solution to the challenge TDB faced—how to get an overview of the event, which was spread across multiple venues in Tokyo. After extensive discussions with organizers, h.o proposed a system using CUBE that could visualize the excitement of the event. During the event, CUBE was installed at 15 exhibition sites, each sensing real-time foot traffic. The data was visualized and displayed through a synchronized website.

Following this, CUBE was applied in a project linked to “Marunouchi Paper,” a paper-based map directory of Marunouchi. The installation of CUBE provided surrounding area information, which was projected onto translucent Marunouchi Paper, transforming it into a dynamic map.

CUBE was also used as campusware starting in 2006. At Rikkyo University in Saitama, Japan, CUBE was employed to create an automatic campus almanac. The system depicted live campus scenery on the web, as well as daily and yearly trends. CUBE sensors, placed at campus facility entrances, continuously captured surrounding data, which was then sent to the CUBE server. The server recorded the data and visually displayed it on a website. Accessible both internally and externally, the website depicted the university’s impact on society and the external perception of the institution, proposing a new approach to university reform.

The campus was graphically represented on the website, with live illustrations showing factors like brightness, sound levels, foot traffic, and campus weather. Simultaneously, the website automatically searched for and displayed blog entries containing “Rikkyo University” from across the internet. This allowed for the visualization of the university’s societal contributions and how it was perceived externally. The project suggested a method for changing the university’s perception by creating a medium that captures both internal and external viewpoints.

In addition, the project featured a physical installation in the campus cafeteria, where the same data from the website was used to project graphics onto a miniature model of the campus. This interactive experience allowed participants to engage with the campus’s vibrancy and access information about ongoing lectures at various facilities.

This project is recognized as an artistic exploration from the early 2000s, coinciding with the dawn of the Internet of Things (IoT), and serves as a pioneering venture in the integration of data-driven technology with art.