Luciana Emerson

Document each task thoroughly, including taking a video. Describe your visualization and record the changes you made to the sample code from Task 3. Upload everything  to the documentation blog.

Step 1:

The first step was to make one of the LEDs on the strip light up. First I had to connect the wires to the Arduino. Then I had to download FastLED from the examples and run Blink.

Step 2 and 3:

The I had to use my computer to light up the NeoPixles. I downloaded SerialRecord in Arduino and I copied the provided code for processing. This part was cool because I saw a new way I can implement processing. Before it was all digital, but now the color of the LED’s were controlled by the computer. 

 

IMG_6779

Step 4:

I downloaded the processing sketch provided and then uploaded the Little Einstein’s theme song. I then merged the two sketches to create one sketch in processing. I then played around in Processing. I made the LED’s change the amount of red depending on how loud the music gets. I also made it so the LED’s change sequentially over periods of time.

 

IMG_6813

Processing Recitation 7

Arduino Recitation 7

 

PREPARATORY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

For this assignment, you will compose a blog post in preparation for your final project. Write a narrative of 3 to 4 paragraphs keeping in mind the following items:   

A. Read “Art, Interaction and Engagement” by Ernest Edmonds.

B. Research at least two new interactive projects that serve as inspiration for your Final Project. Find projects that align with what you think a successful interactive experience is. You are strongly encouraged to consider interactive experiences drawn from a variety of sources, media, materials, formats, etc. Discuss why you chose these specific projects, what aspects you think are successful, and how they will inform your work. 

 

The members of The Heart Chamber Orchestra uses electrocardiograms to create mesmorizing art behind them as they play their music. I think that this is an interactive experience because the users interact by playing their music. As their heartbeat picks up, the coded visuals start to be incorporated. I think not only is it fascinating for the user but also greates a beautiful piece for the audience. This doesn’t have to just be used for musicians but athletes who want to experience with the instillation. I chose this project because I was fascinated by my classmate talking about LSD paintings but letting people experience the viduals without having to take a dangerous drug. I think that it would be cool to make these LSD viduals but incorperating an interactive aspect where people have to do something healthy like workout instead of damaging their brain. Instead of creating art by painting or drawing, users could make art with their whole body.

 

The Gaurgian XO is an exoskeleton that makes you 20 times stronger. This is helpful in factories so people who work in warehouses dont get injured. I believe this is interactive because this techonology needs a person to be able to be used to its full potential. I think this is interactive because though the human controls the exoskeleton, the exoskelton reacts when the human attempts to pick up an item. I think that this is project is successful in many ways because it can cary very heavy loads but it is very bulky and might not be ideal for smaller workspaces. I chose this project because another classmate was talking about how we can give humans supper powers. I think super strength would be very helpful for many people because it would cause less injuries and prevent people from retiring before they are ready. I think that it would be really cool to create an exoskeleton that responds to the person in different environments. For example when a person needs self defense te skeleton would give them wolverine claws and if they needed to grab something a sticky hand could shoot out to get it for them.

C. In your own words, explain what contributes to a successful interactive experience based on your initial definition of interaction from the group research project and your experience developing and executing your midterm project. Support your explanation with the analysis of the projects you researched in point B, as well as by citing references from the reading by Ernest Edmonds, other readings this semester, and artists or online articles you have read. 

 

I think that in order to have a successful interaction someone needs to leave with a new thought, experience, or emotion. I think that good interactions leave the user thinking about it long after they use it. Similar to what the author of The Art of Interactive Design said, interaction has to be communication between the design and the user. I think that my midterm project was an interactive art instillation because it moved based on the movements of the user. Using Ernest Edmonds terms, my project was Dynamic-interactive. I think that Edmonds would also agree with me that The Heart Chamber Orchastra was a Dynamic-interactive(varying) because the graphics on the screen changed depending on the heartbeats of the players. I think that though The Gauridan XO falls under my definition of interaction because it can give someone the sense of accomplishment, Edmonds would think that its between Dynamic-passive and Dynamic-interactive. I think he would acknowledge that it moves based on the uses but since the change in form isn’t significant, it wouldn’t be interactive. 

Poster 1:

Screen Recording 2022-11-11 at 5.29.48 PM

To be completely honest, I find processing to be very difficult to learn how to use. I have been struggling to understand coding and how processing works. Even with this simple design, I struggled to figure out how the placement of code affects different parts and how to use all the commands we learn in class. The first thing I worked on was how to create repetitive shapes in processing using loops. When I finally got the shapes to work I played around with the text. Since I needed a component that changed with time I thought back to when I did Arduino in high school. I remembered that the liquidcrystal_i2c moves across the screen so I decided that that style is what I wanted to include in my poster.

Poster 2:

IMG_6762

When  I started to create poster 2 I initially wanted the circles to look like they were breathing. I tried looking up videos but none of them helped me because I didn’t understand what they were doing in the long run. I went back to the basics and looked at the examples that the Processing website has. I used stroke weight and fill random to get them to move and then realized that it looked more like a dance floor. I remembered that room 826 has a disco ball and decided to change the colors of the circle to look like a dance floor.

Poster 3:

IMG_6763

To keep up with the dance floor theme I thought it would be cool to incorporate a keypress that made it so when you pressed a key, a “spotlight” would appear on the screen. To do this I went back into the Processing website and I used one of the examples . Again I struggled with how to divide the code throughout my own code but when I figured it out. Everything worked perfectly.

Write some comments about what you learned during this exercise, for example, list the most interesting functions you used or what you struggled with. Be thorough so that you can refer to these notes in the future. 

You can work on the assignment on your own, or join one of the Study Sessions hosted by our amazing LAs to learn how to make this! 

Cloudy With a Chance of Servos- Luciana Emerson – Rudi Cossovich

1. CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
   Address how your previous research (Group Project) impacts or inspires your midterm project. Analyze the previous projects and interactions that you have researched. Point to what specifically in those projects triggered your understanding of interaction, and then your definition of it. What is unique and/or significant about your project? If you re-created something that already exists, explain what your take is on that existing project and what your contribution is to its development? For who is your project intended and why is it of special value to its targeted audience?

 

During the group project, I gained an understanding of what interaction is and the components that need to be added in order to make something interactive. Though the glasses we imagined were not very similar to what I made for my midterm project, they did inspire me to incorporate motion sensors into my design. In my “research” part of the project, I talked about the Rain Room created by Hannes Koach and Florian Ortkrass. The immersive experience that the Rain Room offers matches my definition of interaction because as the user moves around the room, the room reacts and stops rain from falling. The way that the room responds and the person reacts creates an unspoken conversation that is an interaction. My midterm project was inspired by the immersive aspect of their design. I really wanted my project to be a sensory experience where the people would feel how I imagined a cloud felt when I was little. My partner and I wanted to encourage curiosity so my project has no intended person but is open to anyone who is curious enough to walk under it. 

 

1. CONCEPTION AND DESIGN:

In what ways did your understanding of how your users were going to interact with your project inform certain design decisions you made? Account for several such decisions. In addition, what form, material or elements did you use? What criteria did you use to select those materials? Why was it/were they best suited to your project purpose, more than any other one/s? What might have been another option? But you rejected it—why?  

 

My partner and I wanted the interaction to not need instructions. We wanted curious people to walk under the project and then figure out how it works so we tried to make the motion sensors hidden at the top of our project. We initially were just thinking about aesthetics so we wanted to use ribbon so when the servos moved there would be a ripple effect. When we made our prototype, however, we realized that the ribbon actually created more of a carwash feeling so we rejected that idea. When creating our final piece we found really soft white yarn that felt like clouds and strung them from the servos to create the sensory aspect of the design. Because we like the cloud-like feeling of the yarn, we wanted to keep that a theme throughout our project. We also wanted to create a fantasy-like experience and added led lights around the board to make it seem as if you were under a rainbow. When the servo detected movement, the section of LEDs the user was closest to would light up. We also added cotton balls over the LEDs to keep the cloud theme.

 

1. FABRICATION AND PRODUCTION:

In this section, describe and assess the most significant steps in your production process, both in terms of failures and successes. Please clarify exactly what contributions and roles you personally made to the process and project along the way, and describe the process your group used to work together. What happened during the User Testing Session? How did your user testing process influence some of your following production decisions? What kind of adaptations did you make? Were they effective? In short, keeping in mind your project goals, how do you account for and justify the various production choices you made for your project? Include sketches and drawings. 

When creating the prototype the process was very straightforward. As we only used four servos, daniel did the coding and I created the physical part of the project. While he was experimenting with how the servos and LEDs worked, I played with different layouts of how the project could look and then created the prototype. The prototype consisted of 4 servos. Two were connected to one distance sensor and two were connected to another. During user testing, we got some critiques about how the interaction should be more obvious to the user but other than that it went smoothly. Since we downsized our prototype, many were very interested in how the final would turn out. Since our prototype used ribbon it felt like a hand carwash so for our final we replaced the ribbon with yarn. We also upgraded and added 28 more servos and 6 more motion sensors to the final piece because we wanted people to be able to move under our project and notice the stop and start of the moving strings. 

 

When creating the final project, I resumed the role of designing the physical board and mechanism while daniel did the coding. Additionally, we both worked on the circuits. When doing the circuits we had to re-wire four times because we kept not being able to figure out why it didn’t work. The addition of the 28 servos soon became a nightmare and we could only get one side of the project to work by the time we had to present it. When we presented it, the project was a complete failure. The servos had interference so even the half that was working wasn’t very obvious how it interacted with the user. We were so annoyed and tempted to give up.

 

After a day of contemplating we realized that we didn’t want our time and effort to go to waste. Thankfully our instructor gave us an extra few days to work on the project. We took away half the servos and the board was running smoothly.  We were able to string our project up in the classroom so now other people can interact with it too.

 

1. CONCLUSIONS:

Begin your conclusion by restating the goals of your project. How do your project results align with your definition of interaction? How do your project results not align with your definition of interaction? Based on both your definition of interaction and your expectations of your audience’s response, how, ultimately, did your audience interact with your project? How would you improve your project if you had more time? What of value have you learned from any setbacks and/or failures? What do you take away from your accomplishments?

 

The wrap-up of your conclusion delivers your final say on the issues you have raised previously, demonstrates the importance of your ideas, and insightfully synthesizes your thoughts about key elements of the project experience. As such, your conclusion should close by reflecting on the crucial questions “So what?” and “Why should anybody care?”

 

My partner and I came into this project with really big hopes. We wanted to create an immersive art installation that was inspired by clouds. We imagined users being able to walk underneath the installation and have the servos move with them so that the strings would tickle them. We installed LED lights to further immerse the user into the experience. Though we had our ups and downs, the final project is something that both my partner and I are really proud of. 

 

I think that though my project matches my definition of interaction perfectly, other people might not agree with me. Personally, I believe that my project matches the definition of interaction because it responds to the user’s movements. But other people might think that in order for something to be interactive there must be added components like sound.

 

Watching people finally be able to interact with our project was very rewarding. It was so fun to see people playing around with the installation seeing how fast the motion sensors responded.  People would walk under it slowly and then turn around and sprint to the other side. It was very fun to see people let out their inner child while interacting with our project. If we had more time I think that we could have focused more on aesthetics. I think that though our project worked well, the loose wires were messy and an eyesore. I also think that if we had more time we could have made the whole ceiling lined with cotton so the project looked like an actual cloud. If I were to add more to the actual project I would have added music to go with the lights to mute out the sound of the servo motors.

 

My partner and I ran into many failures along the way from the servos not working to the lights not turning on. I think the biggest takeaway I got from this project is perseverance. My partner and I were just about ready to abandon the project when it didn’t work during the presentation but we decided that we needed to finish the project for ourselves. I learned that with enough determination I can complete anything I put my mind to and that it’s much more rewarding than excepting a loss.

 

Instead of focusing on a major problem in the world, our project focuses on bringing out the playful side of people. Though college is a stressful time for everyone there are still moments to let go and have fun. Our project encourages the curiosity and childlike emotions that are rooted within us and bring them out to shine.

 

1. ANNEX: All documentation you wish to include but was not closely related to your reflection should go in this section. All the images, the full code, circuit diagrams, materials list, poster, and video(s) of your project should be in their corresponding section when they are relevan. For example: a series of sketches you made while refining your idea should be in the CONCEPT section, where you explain how you refined your idea; an excerpt of the code should be in the PRODUCTION section, clarifying an experiment you tried, a full video of a user interacting with your project should be in your CONCLUSIONS section, etc.

 

Prototype of the design

Wiring of final project

final project before being hung

Project finished and hung up

CODE: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose this picture because it brings back fond memories every time I see it. I also chose it because I really like the shapes of the pyramid and how there are different layers to consider. Since I am new to processing I didn’t want to make it too hard for myself but I also wanted to create something that used many “bodies” so I could understand how the coordinates work. I chose the pyramid because each “body” has four points and I needed to create 7 of them.

When I drew my picture I only wanted to focus on the pyramid itself. I wanted to make the pyramid semi-3D so I make the top part look flat. I then went from top to bottom creating each shape on my sketch. I then looked at it and thought that the white on white was a little too bland so I changed the color to yellow. I added a darker tone of yellow to the top and 3rd levels of the pyramid to create a shadow. 

I then tried to animate the pyramid. I decided to animate the color. When you first press start, the pyramid is black but when you click on it the color slowly changes to yellow. This animation reminded me of how the pyramid changed colors as clouds went over it.

Looking back on this project I think that I might have oversimplified the image but since I am still new to processing I believe that this was a good start. I think that the shapes are very similar to the pyramid in the picture but the way I drew it on paper made it look 2D. Because I was following the coordinates of the drawing, my processing ended up looking a little bland as well. I think that processing was a really cool way to create art. I never really thought about design that was not done by hand before this. I think that this recitation really opened my eyes to the new possibilities of art that technology can provide.

int change;
int r = 0;
int g = 0;
int b = 0;
void setup() {
  size(800, 700);
  change = 1;
}
void draw() {
  // Your drawing code goes here
  background(255);
  println(mouseX, mouseY);

fill(#8C8E2E);
beginShape(); //top
vertex(310, 90);
vertex(440, 90);
vertex(510, 100);
vertex(240, 100);
endShape(CLOSE);

fill(r,g,b);
beginShape(); //2nd hexagon
vertex(240, 100);
vertex(510, 100);
vertex(540, 130);
vertex(210, 130);
endShape(CLOSE);

beginShape(); //3nd hexagon
vertex(180, 130);
vertex(570, 130);
vertex(590, 160);
vertex(160, 160);
endShape(CLOSE);

fill(#8C8E2E);
beginShape(); // 1st rectangle
vertex(180, 160);
vertex(570, 160);
vertex(570, 180);
vertex(180, 180);
endShape(CLOSE);

fill(r,g,b);
beginShape(); //3nd hexagon
vertex(180, 180);
vertex(570, 180);
vertex(610, 260);
vertex(150, 260);
endShape(CLOSE);

beginShape(); //4nd hexagon
vertex(130, 260);
vertex(630, 260);
vertex(655, 390);
vertex(105, 390);
endShape(CLOSE);

beginShape(); //5nd hexagon
vertex(80, 390);
vertex(680, 390);
vertex(730, 520);
vertex(30, 520);
endShape(CLOSE);

if (mousePressed) {
  r += 3;
  g += 3;
  b += 0;
}
}

During this recitation, I learned how to work with stepper motors. The first task was to learn how to make the circuit. The circuit incorporated an H-bridge and a stepper motor. I followed the given diagram below.

With the Stepper attached

Without the stepper motor

I then cut out the cardboard that was given to me. The cardboard already had the shapes and measurements so all I had to do was trace the lines. Then I took too push pins and I placed them into the cut-out circles to connect the stepper motor to the linear arm and the linear arm to the rotating link.

After that, I made sure that everything worked like how the example did.Then it was time to add some customization. I added a personal touch by attaching a “Hello” sign to the top of the linear arm. I also slowed myStepper.setSpeed() in the code to make the sign look like it was waving and added random() to give the sign some quirky personality.

Stepper motor

Additional Questions

Question 1: Choose an art installation mentioned in the reading ART + Science NOW, Stephen Wilson (Kinetics chapter). Post your thoughts about it and make a comparison with the work you did during this recitation. How do you think that the artist selected those specific actuators for his project?

I think that “waves” (2002) by Daniel Palacios Jimenez is a very simplistic but beautiful design. I really like how he took very simple things like a motor and string and made them into a creative piece of art.  I admire that though the design is simple it still looks very intricate because of how fast the string spins and the noise it emits. I think that the artist probably used a DC motor to make the oscillations of the rope visible because they spin in one direction well. I think that this project is somewhat similar to what we did in recitation as they both use motors and a simple mechanism to create an aesthetically pleasing project. While he used motors and a string, I used cardboard and a motor.

Question 2: What kind of mechanism would you be interested in building for your midterm project? Explain your idea using a sketch (conceptual or technical) with a list of materials that you plan to use. Include details about the ways that you expect the user to embrace in physical interaction with your project. In particular, explain how would your motor (or motors) with a mechanism will be different than using an animation on a digital screen.

I am very interested in creating an installation that consisted of motion sensors. I want the motion sensor to react to the presence of a person and then do something. I think I would like to have pinwheels on a wall and when someone walks by the wheels start spinning but only in-the-spot movement was detected. My vision is that when someone walks by the installation reacts like a wave. Only the part of the wall where the person is sensed starts to move. This would mean that I would have to use servos and motion sensors to complete this project. I hope that this installation would encourage people to move and interact with the installation itself. I find many adults try to suppress their silly side and I hope that this installation will bring out their silly side.

 

Code: 
/*
Stepper Motor Control – one revolution

This program drives a unipolar or bipolar stepper motor.
The motor is attached to digital pins 8 – 11 of the Arduino.

The motor should revolve one revolution in one direction, then
one revolution in the other direction.

Created 11 Mar. 2007
Modified 30 Nov. 2009
by Tom Igoe

*/

#include

const int stepsPerRevolution = 200; // change this to fit the number of steps per revolution
// for your motor

// initialize the stepper library on pins 8 through 11:
Stepper myStepper(stepsPerRevolution, 8, 9, 10, 11);

void setup() {
// set the speed at 60 rpm:
myStepper.setSpeed(40);
// initialize the serial port:
Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
// step one revolution in one direction:
Serial.println(“clockwise”);
myStepper.step(random(50,150));
delay(500);

// step one revolution in the other direction:
Serial.println(“counterclockwise”);
myStepper.step(-stepsPerRevolution);
delay(500);
}

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROPOSAL

1. Musical Dance Floor – Luciana Emerson – Rudi Cossovich 
2. SKETCHES AND/OR DIAGRAMS

1. PROJECT EXPLANATION

Successful projects focus on a significant topic or issue intended for a specific audience. Discuss the insight you found, references of projects that are inspiring your idea, and how they influence your design choices. Define the challenge you seek to address, its relevance to a specific audience, and its intended impact. Explain clearly the interaction of the user with your project. Remember to include links, images or videos of your references. Limit to a maximum of three sentences.

 

I want to create a dance floor that is comprised of velostats and copper so when there is pressure sensed, the floor will make music. As a dancer, I always thought it would be fun to create music on my own but the only way to do that as of now is with tap shoes. This project is similar to the Piano Stairs created by FunTheory but instead of stairs to encourage people to walk, I want to create a dance floor that will in courage people to let loose and dance.

 

Explain precisely how what your group invented derives from, responds to, or relates, in some significant manner, to the established form of interaction you identified in your research of the two projects in the RESEARCH phase of the project. 

For the first part of the project, we were required to read three short stories. From those three stories, we were asked to come up with an interactive artifact for each of the three universes. We then split into groups to create a performance using one of the artifacts we created. My group all met and decided that we liked the idea of crime-detecting glasses inspired by The Veldt. In the story, the parent’s inability to observe their kid’s illegal behavior is what got them killed. Our group decided that crime-detecting glasses that also recorded behavior would be helpful in this universe so the parents could get their children the help that they needed and also survive. If the parents had these glasses, they would detect the blood in the nursery when they first walked in, and then it would prompt them to do a more thorough investigation of the children’s activities. The glasses are inconspicuous so even if someone was looking around for a camera, they would not be able to find one. Once the glasses sense that a crime is being committed, the footage gets sent straight to the authorities and an alarm on the glasses goes off. The authorities can then look at the footage and have proof when prosecuting. The crime detection feature is similar to Amazon’s Alexa crime detection but instead of only sensing noise, for example, glass breaking, it can also sense through body language and visuals. 

I previously defined interaction as communication and reaction and I believe that these glasses match my definition perfectly. The glasses interact with the criminal by reacting when they commit the crime and it communicates to the user by alerting them of the crime committed. Additionally, I went on to say that through interaction one must be left with new feelings whether it is emotions or thoughts. I believe that these glasses possess that ability as they leave the wearer with a sense of accomplishment for preventing crime.

Please clarify exactly what contributions and roles you personally made to the process and project along the way, and describe the process your group used to work together.

Reflecting on the artifact I think some things need to be improved. For example, I think for the glasses to be fully inconspicuous we need to make the alarm silent. Maybe instead of turning red and beeping the glasses vibrate on the sides so the wearer knows that there has been a crime but the criminal thinks they are safe. I also think that if we were asked to design these glasses we would have to figure out how the glasses would detect crime. We were thinking that maybe it would use facial recognition and base the crime detection on their facial expressions but since we didn’t have to design the object, we didn’t think that far. However, if these glasses were successfully made, I believe that they would be very useful in big cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, or New York because crimes like pickpocketing happen a lot and it is very hard to track down who did it because there are so many people. 

We created the artifact out of cardboard I believe that if we had more time we should have tried to make the glasses more sturdy. My partner who had to wear the glasses struggled with keeping them on his face as the sides were a little too bendy and wouldn’t stay behind his ears. We decided that the best way to prevent the glasses from falling off was to wrap a wire around the frame of the glasses but if we had more time I am sure we could have figured out a way to make the glasses sturdy while also making them aesthetically pleasing. I also think that if we had more time we could have thought about a more productive way to make the glasses change color but because we were short on time, we made two pairs to show the audience that the glasses would change color in real life. Looking back, the two pairs of glasses were not a nuisance but more like an added variable that we needed to keep in mind for our performance. Nevertheless, I think that the design we made worked and communicated its purpose perfectly

When making this project we worked all together as a group but naturally, different people became leaders for each step of the project. I was the leader in making the script. After I wrote down most of the script, people added their contributions. After looking at their suggestions I tightened everything up into the final script that we presented.

Crime_Detecting_Glasses <– click here if you want to see the sketch in full screen

A critical analysis and assessment of performance from another group. 

Group 6’s project was a very interesting take on this assignment. They created a VR headset for the story of The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas that makes the boy in the room suffer. The headset consisted of a box that popped a flower out when it was on someone’s head which I thought was brilliant. I think that this was included to show that the city only flourishes when one person suffers.

In their performance, a citizen tries on the VR and is so traumatized that they leave the city altogether. I think that this invention would be welcomed in the Omela universe because it has the potential to make the boy suffer even more than he did in the story. But I also think that the way the group did their performance did not meet the criteria of the assignment as the performance did not explain exactly what the product was. Additionally, they could have expanded on their creative thinking more as VR headsets already exist in society. I think that though the design for this invention was very well thought out, the execution of how to present it was not. The only reason I can tell you this invention was a VR headset was that the group explained it after in the Q&A. If I were to make a performance about this artifact, I would give more information using the script. I think it would have helped a lot if someone talked about the purpose of the artifact and why it applied to this story because it seemed that the project was up for interpretation. I also think that the performers should have shown how the project works more as they just put it on someone’s head and then walked away. I believe that the ideas behind the project were very intricate and thought out but the execution needed some work.

Describe clearly how your teamwork was, the different roles, the task allocations, and how were the communication within the team.

During this whole project, our group worked together. In our first meeting, we shared the three inventions we proposed in the first blog post. We then looked over the inventions and combined ideas to get crime-detecting glasses. After that meeting, we got together to work on the script. Though we were all a little shy at first we soon got comfortable and started playing off one another’s ideas to create our skit. We then designated the acting roles to each member based on what we thought fit their personalities. After creating the skit we got to work creating the actual project. We met at AB and created two pairs of glasses. One for when there was no crime detected and the other for when there was since we were not allowed to use electronics. After that session, we came together once more to practice our skit with our props. We soon realized that our skit was only 3 minutes long and that we had to add something to make the skit more interesting. We decided to add a part of the skit to explain how the glasses worked in more detail. We also decided to make a fake screen so the audience would know that they are looking at a recording. Throughout this process, we had very good communication skills and were very respectful of each other’s ideas. This project was very fun because it was the first time I got to work with people in a group at NYUSH. I liked my group because everyone was so kind and we got along really well. It was very clear from the start that we were all dedicated and motivated to make the project to the best of our abilities.

Thoroughly document the design, and the interactions of the group to come up with the creation, the building process, and the final prototype you have built.

The making of the glasses was very straight forward. First, we made two designs based off of my partners sunglasses. The first pair was made from two pieces of cardboard and the second was made from three pieces.

Then we decided that though these two pairs could work, they were aesthetically pleasing enough. We liked how the second pair of glasses were made but they were too chunky. We decided that the frame should be thinner and created our third pair.

We liked that design so we made another pair to show what the glasses would look like when crime was detected. We decided to wrap red wire around the pair that represented when crime was detected and silver to show when crime was not detected.

We then met up to rehearse our script with the props. During this rehearsal we realized that our performance was too short and incorporated a scene where the Public Safety officer showed that the glasses recorded crimes and sent it straight to the authorities. In oder to show that the audience was watching a video we made a TV prop out of cardboard as well. We also had a “pause” button to show that the video was paused. This prop was made by connecting smaller cut outs of cardboard to make one big square. We also attached the pause button to wires so a person could to drop it when the Officer paused the video. 

We rehearsed a few more times and then decided we were ready for the performance.

SCRIPT:

Teacher: Attention! You have 5 min left to complete your project.

Student 1: Look what I got (waves the dongle around before putting it in their pocket)

Student 2: No way I want one!

Student 3: Don’t do that you are gonna get in trouble.

Student 1:  Don’t worry the professor isn’t even looking.

Student 3:  But he’s gonna notice that one is missing.

Student 1:  wanna bet?

Teacher: Time’s up! class is dismissed. Everyone have a good day!

(students start leaving as professor counts the cables)

Students: 

Teacher: WAIT! I am missing a dongle and I know one of you took it. I’ll give you one chance to give it back.

Student 1: You are crazy

Student 2: Maybe you just miss counted check again

Teacher:  We’ll see about that tomorrow.

(Student 1 and student 2 rush out, and Student 3 comes back to the classroom)

Student 3: Professor, I saw her steal the cable, but I have no proof! What should we do?

Teacher:  I’ll figure that out, see you tomorrow! Thank you for telling me. 

(Narrator later that day)

Teacher: (walks up to authorities) Is this the public safety office?

Authority: Yes how can I help you?

Teacher: I have a rotten thief in my classes that is stealing my dongles. I need something that will help me catch him.

Authority: Here, these are crime detector glasses, this is an advanced technology that allows you to detect illegal actions, wear these glasses tomorrow. If they detect anything they will react and transmit the information straight to me!

(Narrator one recitation later)

(teacher enters classroom)

Students: hello professor!

Teacher: let’s begin our recitation!

(the student walks in)

Student 2: Today is my day. I’m gonna get one too.

Student 1: Okay man let’s see if you can pull it off.

Student 3: No don’t he’s wearing the glasses!

Student 2: We have no proof that those even work.

Student 1: Yeah I heard they are fake

Student 3: But guys look there is a camera there, it’s recording your every move!

Student 2:  I don’t believe in technology! Let’s try it out, Here I go

Teacher: I knew it! You in big trouble.

Glasses turn red and make a sound: Beep beep cable stolen

Authority: (runs in and says): you’re under arrest for stealing school property please follow me to our office.

(proceeds to throw away dongle)

Student 2: What? you have no proof

Authority: Yes I do the glasses turned red!

(Student 2 runs away and authority proceeds after him, but stays)

Authority: Oh, let her run! We don’t really need her to do that.

Teacher: How are we going to catch her then?

Authority: The glasses are the key. They have cameras and all the needed footage. Let’s watch it.

Teacher: Oh really?

Authority: Yeah! I will click this and it will show the projection of the footage of the crime!

(the narrator installs the camera frame and students come in)

Student 2: (SLOWLY) Here I go (putting the wire away)

Teacher: Oh that’s it! (narrator drops pause button)

Authority: Yeah! We can stop right here! See, these crime detection glasses are truly awesome! We can end crime everywhere!

In reception we made a workout sensor using a tilt switch.

In order for the tilt switch to work, the user has to connect it to their forearm. In the diagram above it shows that when the switch senses that its orientation is past 180 degrees it outputs a 1 to the computer. When it returns back to 180 degrees it outputs a one. Because of the changes in number, the computer can then take those and count the number of reps based on the change in number.

To be used correctly this workout tool can be used for a variety of different workouts. If one attaches the tilt switch to their stomach they could count sit ups, if one attached the switch to their calf they could count hamstring curls. 

Here is videos of the switch in action:

IMG_6182 <– Jumping jacks

IMG_6179 <– Curls

To begin making this project I took two wires and soldered on to each end of the tilt switch

.

Then I connected the two wires into the bread board along with a resistor and a capacitor.

 

Next I took the pre written code from the recitation and uploaded it on to my bread board:

int SENSOR_PIN = 2;    
int tiltVal;

void setup() {
  pinMode(SENSOR_PIN, INPUT);    // Set sensor pin as an INP
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  // read the state of the sensor
  tiltVal = digitalRead(SENSOR_PIN);
  Serial.println(tiltVal);
  delay(10);
}

IMG_6173 <– this is a video of the first code working along with the tilt sensor.

Next, I uploaded the second script of code given to us that output a 1 when the tilt sensor went from 0 to 1 and 0 when the tilt sensor went from 1 to 0.

int SENSOR_PIN = 2;
int tiltVal;
int prevTiltVal;

void setup() {
  pinMode(SENSOR_PIN, INPUT); // Set sensor pin as an INPUT pin
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  // read the state of the sensor
  tiltVal = digitalRead(SENSOR_PIN);
  // if the tilt sensor value changed, print the new value
  if (tiltVal != prevTiltVal) {
    Serial.println(tiltVal);
    prevTiltVal = tiltVal; 
  }
  delay(10);
}

IMG_6176<– Video of uploaded code

The code was almost there but it needed a few finishing touches. I needed to add a condition that only counted a curl only when full curl was completed, create a curl count, and set a limit so when someone reaches that limit they receive a message.

 

The first circuit I built was the same exact circuit I created in the first recitation class. There was a wire going from positive to a 220 Ohm resistor, then to the LED, and then from the LED to the ground. The only difference was instead of making the LED “blink” I made it “fade” by using a pre-made Arduino script—the light instead of turning on and off slowly brightened and dimmed. 

IMG_6097

The second circuit was similar to the first one I created but I used a buzzer instead of an LED. The positive wire went to the buzzer and then the negative wire went to ground. Again, I used a pre-written script from Arduino called “toneMelody”. This script has the buzzer make a seven-note jingle.  

IMG_6099

The last circuit was by far the most complicated circuit I have had to make in this class. It wasn’t difficult per se but all the components crowded onto the breadboard making it impossible to see. 

 

Following the diagram above, I started placing the components in one by one. I started with the basics, positive and negative wires. Then I moved left to right inserting the resistors, LED’s, buttons, and buzzer. When I was finally done I pressed upload and… nothing. I slowly and carefully looked at each wire placement and saw nothing until the last wire. I realized I forgot to connect the right button to positive. It is quite frightening how one wrong wire can make your whole circuit not work. Once I fixed that wire though, everything was fine. I had my friend play the game with me a few times until I got sick of losing.

IMG_6099 

Looking at the clock I realized I had a tiny bit more time to make adjustments. I replaced the button with the paddles we made in the first recitation. I placed the first wire below the first red vertical wire on the left and the second above the first resistor on the left. For the second paddle, I placed the first wire under the red vertical wire all the way to the right and the second above the resistor all the way to the right. then when the paddles touched the circuit would act the same as if the button was pressed. 

Schematic for circuit 3:

Question 1: Propose another kind of creative button you could use in Circuit 3 to make the game more interactive. Read and use some material from the Physical Computing, Introduction Chapter (p. xvii – p. xxix) to explain why this button would make this game more interactive.

Another way to make this game more interactive would be to replace the button with a scale/ pressure plate. Instead of just using your finger, one would have to jump really fast in order to win. The Physical Computing Introduction Chapter states that interaction can be broken down into three steps: listening, thinking, and speaking also known as the input, processing, and output. Because of this, I think that adding a scale/pressure plate would make this project more interactive because users would have to think about the right technique in order to win. For example, jumping high might be impressive but one would lose from the time it took on the way down. Jumping low might work but if your toes don’t make it off the scale the computer wouldn’t count it. Because people will have to figure out the perfect technique, I think this would be a much more interactive experience than pressing a button mindlessly.

Question 2: Why did we use a 10 kOhm resistor with each push button? (Psssst… Go back to your slides for this answer)

We use a 10k Ohm resistor before each push button because when the button is not being pressed, it still needs to be connected to ground to make the circuit 0 ohms or there will be a short circuit. The resistor is there also so that when the button is pressed down, the 5v doesn’t damage the button.

Question 3: In the book Getting Started with Arduino there is a clear description about the “Arduino Way” in chapter 2. Find a project that you find interesting that can be used as an example for these kind of projects. Cite it in adequate manner, include a picture, and explain the reasons that you chose it.

I am choosing Mark Rober’s Exploding Glitter Bomb project because throughout his innovation process he tinkers, he patches, and he creates prototypes. Mark Rober has dedicated four years now to creating a glitter bomb package to deter thieves from stealing packages off people’s porches. Because of this, the exploding glitter bomb is on its fourth version showing that Mark Rober embraces prototyping and creating different iterations to his project. In his fourth version, he patches by connecting pistons (to pop the top of the package off exposing the glitter bomb), servo motors (to continually spray the fart bomb sent), and four phones to get a 360 view of the thief. Though out this process he tinkers making little changes to be sure that everything works perfectly before he leaves the package out for an unsuspecting thief.

Works cited: 

Onemeeeliondollars, director. YouTube, YouTube, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c584TGG7jQ. Accessed 25 Sept. 2022.