Siri is the crowned jewel of Apple’s iPhone 4S. It arrived in smartphone users’ pockets back in October. Since then, it has caused quite a stir – from not being able to locate abortion clinics to hogging data on an annoyingly large scale. Siri is based on a DARPA-funded military artificial intelligence project, and it might just be the AI-powered future of search. It is more than just a “voice-powered virtual assistant tool,” as many tend to call it. What does this possible “future of search” tool look like, beyond a glowing purple microphone and white text on black background screengrabs from the main screen of an iPhone4S?
Shapeways decided to find out by hosting its very own contest. Anyone with ideas tweeted a link along with hashtag #3DSiri to @shapeways. It announced the winners on leap year day, February 29.
But first, try asking Siri what it looks like. Here’s what I got, when I tried to engage with it.
Omniscent Siri by SaGa Design (@SagaDesign3D) took first prize. Wrapped around an iPhone 4S, Siri’s half-human, half-alien looking head rises up from the phone’s screen. Its material looks like wads of white gum smacked together and carefully rolled into a single film. Malleable and ghostly, Siri conforms to the phone’s design. Its face is cleanly symmetrical, eyes slots for only slivers of light. The phone’s owner can still easily tap the home screen, power button up top and sound buttons on silver edge.
Siri is genderless, a cyborg existing only in the mind of the user. Other designers portray Siri as female or just robotic. But the real Siri is beyond both of these cultural ideals, appearing as a being from the future, some combination of human and machine.
