Ran's Documentation Blog

Midterm Project Proposal

Project title: True-self Catcher

Name: Younian Liu, Ran Xu

Instructor’s name: Prof. Marcela Godoy

Sketch:

Project Explanation

We got the idea of creating a UFO catcher from one widget in the kit. ( I put the picture of it down below). The theme of the project is the gender stereotype that many adjectives are stereotyped to only describe boys or girls and people with diversity are trapped in specific labels. We would like to encourage everyone to be himself/herself and both the name “True-self Catcher” and the design: the player who first get the piece of paper written with “true” can win the game show this theme. 

Recitation 3

Force Sensitive Resistor

That was the first time that we needed to build a circuit on our own. At first, we were a little bit flustered. But after reviewing what we had learned, we decided to build a circuit based on the circuit of light sensor that we were most familiar with. 

At first, we connected the vibration sensor and mistook it as a pressure sensor. We pressed it hard and it gave us feedback. (I don’t know why. Maybe because when we pressed the sensor, we also shook it.) We thought we had completed part of the task but after we read the recitation website, we realized the problem and changed it into the right one. 

Diagram

Code

/*
  AnalogReadSerial

  Reads an analog input on pin 0, prints the result to the Serial Monitor.
  Graphical representation is available using Serial Plotter (Tools > Serial Plotter menu).
  Attach the center pin of a potentiometer to pin A0, and the outside pins to +5V and ground.

  This example code is in the public domain.

  https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/BuiltInExamples/AnalogReadSerial
*/

// the setup routine runs once when you press reset:
int s_pin = A0;
void setup() {
  // initialize serial communication at 9600 bits per second:
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(s_pin,INPUT);
  pinMode(9,OUTPUT);

}

// the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
void loop() {
  // read the input on analog pin 0:
  int sensorValue = analogRead(A0);
  int newValue = map(sensorValue,0,1023,0,255);
  // print out the value you read:
  Serial.println(sensorValue);
   if (sensorValue > 10){
  digitalWrite(9,HIGH);
} else{
  digitalWrite(9,LOW);
}
  delay(1);        // delay in between reads for stability
}

Advanced version

We decided to add another output: buzzer to the circuit. But there was no feedback at first. We asked the IMA fellow for help and she told us maybe we need to change the number of delay to give the equipment more time to react. And this is the video of the equipment after modification. (the buzzer ringed but very small) 

Diagram

Code

/*
  AnalogReadSerial

  Reads an analog input on pin 0, prints the result to the Serial Monitor.
  Graphical representation is available using Serial Plotter (Tools > Serial Plotter menu).
  Attach the center pin of a potentiometer to pin A0, and the outside pins to +5V and ground.

  This example code is in the public domain.

  https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/BuiltInExamples/AnalogReadSerial
*/

// the setup routine runs once when you press reset:
int s_pin = A0;
void setup() {
  // initialize serial communication at 9600 bits per second:
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(s_pin, INPUT);
  pinMode(9,OUTPUT);
  pinMode(5,OUTPUT);
  
}

// the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
void loop() {
  // read the input on analog pin 0:
  int sensorValue = analogRead(A0);
  int newValue = map (sensorValue,0,1023,0,255);
  // print out the value you read:
  Serial.println(sensorValue);
  if (sensorValue > 100){
    digitalWrite(9,HIGH);
    digitalWrite(5,HIGH);
  }else{
    digitalWrite(9,LOW);
    digitalWrite(5,LOW);
  }
  delay(50);        // delay in between reads for stability
}

Question 1:

What did you intend to assemble in the recitation exercise? If your sensor/actuator combination were to be used for pragmatic purposes, who would use it, why would they use it, and how could it be used?

We want to assemble a pressure sensor, an LED light, and a buzzer.  I think this sensor combination can be used for stressful people. When they feel stressed, they can just hold the pressure sensor tightly to relieve their stress, and maybe they will feel better after using this equipment. LED light can show different colors of light and the buzzer can play soft music when people press the force-sensitive resistor.  I think it will increase the fun of the sensor combination.

Question 2:

Code is often compared to following a recipe or tutorial.  Why do you think that is?

I think code is similar to following a recipe or tutorial because all of them need to follow the order step by step. And if anything goes wrong, the whole thing falls apart. In addition, all of them have a basic and certain rule to make the code, food, or homework perfect. There are a lot of ways to achieve perfect results no matter when we are coding, cooking, or tutoring. But there are certain lines we must observe such as adding a semicolon when the statement ends, not adding any soy sauce to a cream cake.

Question 3:

 In The Language of New Media, Manovich describes the influence of computers on new media. In what ways do you believe the computer influences our human behaviors?

First, I think the computer makes human behaviors more orderly. Since computers are rational and they strictly obey the code that people type into, people may be influenced by computers and work step by step to make their work more effective and efficient.

In addition, computers make our human behaviors more productive. With the help of computers, people can deal with their work more quickly. For example, the speed of typing is more quickly than the speed of writing at least for me. And when I write articles on the computer, it is easier for me to alter statements. In that case, I can finish writing earlier with the computer’s help than I write by hand.

Recitation2: Arduino Basics

Circuit One: Fade

We connected the circuit according to the circuit diagram. The mistake we made is that we forgot to switch ports to USB ports and the program can’t run. We soon realized the program and make changes. 

Circuit Two: toneMelody

We connected the circuit according to the circuit diagram above. At first, we thought when the buzzer ringed, the light would be on. So we wondered why only the buzzer ringed. We asked the IMA fellow for help and we learned that the ring and the buzzer belong to two separate circuits. 

Circuit Three: Speed Game

my own schematic 

We signed into Tinkercad and found the Speed Game example (the first picture) We spent a long time connecting the circuit since it is a little bit complicated. We forgot to connect two wires at first and it made player One win immediately. After checking the whole circuit, we found the mistake and finish building the speed game.

Question 1:

  I want to change the button into screaming chickens. ( there is one in room 825) People need to squeeze the screaming chicken as fast as they can to connect the circuits. In Physical Computing,  author and game programmer Chris Crawford argues that “interaction is ‘an iterative process of listening, thinking, and speaking between two or more actors.’ “.  So I decide to change the part of listening, in computer terms: input to make the game more interactive. The limit of input of a mouse and keyboard was broken and people can enjoy a more interesting input method.

Question2:

The 10k resistors work as pull-down resistors that can prevent short circuits when the switch is closed while still biasing the pin to 0V when the switch is open. 

Recitation 1: Electronics & Soldering

Materials and their function:

• 1 * Breadboard: a tool for holding the components of the circuit, and connecting them together
• 1 * Buzzer: make sounds (“Bi Bi”)
• 1 * Push-Button Switch: a control that can be used to interrupt the flow of current through a circuit
• 1 * 220-ohm Resistor: a tool to control the flow of current and protect the LEDs
• 1 * 10K ohm Resistor: a tool to control the flow of current and protect the LEDs
• 1 * 10K ohm Variable Resistor (Potentiometer): output an adjustable voltage
• 2 * LED: lighting
• 1 * 5-volt power supply: supply power
• 1 * Barrel Jack: adapter connector (to change the 220V to the voltage that fits for the circuit)
• 1 * Multimeter: an electronic device with the ability to measure the electrical properties of voltage, current, and resistance, among other things.
• 1 * DIY Paddle Button: a control that can be used to interrupt the flow of current through a circuit ( work as a change for the switch)
• Several Jumper Cables (M/M Wires): connect the circuit

Completed Circuit Working

Task 1: Build the circuit

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Task 2: build a switch

Task 3: Switch the switches and send a message

Description of the process

At first, my partner Christine and I don’t know how the breadboard worked. We spent some time learning how to make the current flow smoothly. When we tried to use the switch to control the LED and the buzzer, we found it didn’t work and the LED was on and the buzzer kept ringing. We tried to change the position of the switch to another side but it still didn’t work. So we asked the assistant for help and learned that the switch needs to be put in the middle of the breadboard to work as a bridge so that it can have the function of controlling. At last, the circuit worked. 

Questions

Question 1: What is the function of the resistor R1?

The function of the resistor R1 is to limit the current that passes through the LED1 so that the current can be below the maximum allowable current of  LED1 and LED1 is safe.

Question 2: Looking at the following circuit, draw its diagram by yourself.

Question 3 :

After reading The Art of Interactive Design, in what way do you think that the circuit you built today includes interactivity? Which degree of interactivity does it possess? Please explain your answer. 

I think the link between our DIY paddle switch, LED1, LED2, and the buzzer includes interactivity because when I press the switch, the lights are on and the buzzer rings. It is a process which each participant (the circuit and me) in turn listen (I listen to the reaction of the circuit and the circuit listen to my order), think (I think about using a switch to control the circuit and circuit think about how to obey my order) and speak ( I press the switch to connect the circuit and the circuit gives me reaction), which is just interaction in The Art of Interactive Design (Crawford, 5)

And since this process is very simple, it is a low degree of interactivity.

Question 4:

How can Interaction Design and Physical Computing be used to create Interactive Art? You can reference Zack Lieberman’s video or any other artists that you know.

In Zack Liberman’s interactive artwork Drawn, the audience can draw their own sketch rather than just watch existing paintings. This part includes Interaction Design. And Through Physical Computing,  the sketch can react to visitors’ touch.

Research for Group Project

My definition of interaction

I think interaction is a process of communication between two participators (both objects and people are all right). It is different from communication because it emphasizes the loop of effective listening, thinking, and feedback.    

In addition, interaction needs to be programmable as one important part of contemporary new media. This character makes the loop of effective listening, thinking, and feedback smoother. When people find any problem in the loop, it is easier for them to make changes to HTML documents. (Manovich 31)       

It’s worth mentioning that interaction in art is more obscure since straightforward verbal descriptions need less. The interaction between the works and the audience requires more feedback from the installation itself and the audience’s thinking and action. Just as Tigoe writes in the article Making Interactive Art: Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen, “ They prescript what will happen. When you do that, you’re telling the participant what to think, and by extension, how to act. Is that what you wanted?” It just makes the work boring.

Interactive art projects I have found

Mechanical famous painting interactive device

This is an artwork that aligns with my definition. It is made by OUTPUT. It let the audience to interact with world-famous paintings by shaking the handle, pressing the pump, pulling the rope and etc, and gives them visual and tactile experiences. The activities and the changes of paintings, such as the changes of light and shade in the picture, the apple falling in the picture are both intereating. What might otherwise be boring paintings become interesting to look at. The audience can enjoy the project with ease. The famous paintings are transformed by the movements of the audience. This equipment keeps listening to the order of the audience, thinking about the right reaction ( through the program), and speaking ( give instant feedback through changes of the paintings ).  It deepens my understanding of the important loop of effective listening, thinking, and feedback in interaction. The audience also can notice the details of the paintings. Since this work is created for the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, children can also enjoy the simple fun of shaking the handle, pressing the pump, pulling the rope and etc. The loop of effective listening, thinking, and feedback is smooth and few introductions leave the space for viewers to explore.

INSIDEOUT

  This project gives a 360° immersive dynamic sound and light experience. It was created by Leigh Sachwitz, based on childhood memories of experiencing thunderstorms in Glasgow’s garden shed. It did not give a clear textual description to the audience, but let the audience themselves come into the shed and experience the changes of sound and light. This allows the audience to actually interact with the work and tries to guess the attempt of the creator. The equipment constantly changes the sound and light such as raindrops and laser, to restore the scene in the creator’s memory and keep the audience informed. But the feedback of the audience is a little bit weak. The audience just sits in the shed and enjoys. Their action or ideas can’t change the work of the equipment. This work is more like a performance than an interaction artwork. The loop isn’t smooth.  So it doesn’t totally align with my definition of interaction. 

Works Cited 

1. Mechanical famous painting interactive device

https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=1495503#!zh

2. INSIDEOUT

https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=1536974#!zh

3. https://www.tigoe.com/blog/category/physicalcomputing/405/

4. Crawford, Chris. “The Art of Interactive Design: A Euphonious and Illuminating Guide to Building Successful Software.” (2002).

5. Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2001.

This is a test blog to check if I created a new category for the interaction lab.