In this week’s recitation, we built a device that moves back and forth, similar to the piston of a car cylinder.
We first studied the construction of the circuit. This circuit uses h-bridge, stepper motor and an external 12v power supply, so it is a relatively complex circuit.
After carefully checking and connecting, we successfully made the whole circuit.
Next, we started cutting the cardboard to make the body of the artifact. Step by step, we carefully cut out the different parts of the device according to the directions on the sketch. When we had all the parts, we started to put them together. We use hot glue to connect the pieces of cardboard to each other, and then nail the drive shaft and cardboard together. This way, when the motor turns, the drive shaft will move the cardboard.
This is the final product we made out of the cardboard.
In the final step, we were asked to use this simple device to create a tiny story. So I drew a little cat and pasted it onto the cardboard. When the cardboard move, the cat sign will go up and down, just like a cat is saying hi to you.
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?
For this question, I chose the one made by Raffaello D’Andrea, Max Dean and Matt Donovan called The Table. This device uses actuators to move the table, so that it could move along with the people in the room, which creates interaction. Both our devices apply actuators to make the output show in the form of motion. I think the artist used the actuator in a smart way, for it was naturally presented during the process of the moving of the table, and it could also better present the idea of the artist.
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 a physical interaction with your project. In particular, explain how your motor (or motors) with a mechanism would be different than using an animation on a digital screen.
This is the sketch I drew for this question. In the midterm project, I am planning to use three sensors that are attached to a handle. When the user holds it, the sensors will detect the user’s pressure, heart rate and temperature. However, I am not planning to use a motor in our project. I think a motor would be better than using an animation when the designer wants to present a more powerful scene that is physically interactive.