Author: Dominick Nardone

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Recitation 4: Drawing Machines – Dominick Nardone

Partners: Nate Hecimovich and Eva Solo

Following the diagram that was provided for us, it was fairly simple to assemble the circuit for the stepper motor. Due to the high voltage, I used a pedometer to assure that I would not fry my Arduino. Applying the map() function made controlling the stepper motor smooth and easy.

Following the completion of the stepper motor, Nate, Eva, and I connected our two stepper motors, using the frame created by two long and short arms and a motor holder, and the artwork began. 

Sadly, we were incapable of drawing anything of beauty, but the assignment was very fun. For a video of our drawing machine in action, you can view Eva’s documentation. 

Questions:

  1. Following the drawing machine, it would be really cool to use clear plastic tubes, an led strip. and a stepper motor (or potentially a different motor) to create a sculpture of two light-sabers fighting. I imagine there could be moderate customization  (LED colors), and interactive like those boxing toys from back in the day. 
  2. Following up on the light-saber idea above, it could be further developed to a full size robot of some sort, similar to Ken Rinaldo and Matt Howard’s Autotelematic Spider Bots, to allow people to fight like they do in Robot Wars. Although, this is much more complicated, involving many more actuators for legs, weapons, etc., if you were to modulate each individual (similar to how we do with coding), it is just the combination of a bunch of actuators. Rinaldo and Howard’s spider bot, based off of ants and spiders, had to use actuators that would work independently and together in order to imitate the movement of their insect inspiration. On top of these actuators, the use of infrared and ultrasonic ‘eyes’ their robots were able to deploy the actuators to approach/ avoid their robot comrades, people, and find their charge ports to obtain sustenance. If you think about it, the drawing machines we made, with the joints employed by the connection of the small and long arms, are a very rough draft of a single appendage. 
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Recitation 3: Sensors – Dominick Nardone

Partner: Nate Hecimovich

For this week’s recitation, we got the chance to experiment a bit with a multitude of sensors. Upon looking at the list of sensors we could develop something with, Nate and I immediately decided to base our circuit around the infrared distance sensor. With the assistance of the project cards provided in the Arduino kit, we were quickly able set up the circuit with the infrared sensors, a 220 ohms resistor, and an LED. It was relatively easy to code the infrared sensor to activate the LED upon a specific distance. Yet, Nate and I wanted to make the light brighter when our hands were closer to the sensor and dimmer when our hands were further away. With the help of Katie, we were able to successfully employ the map() function to make this work. 

For videos of the assignment, please refer to Nate’s documentation, as I have misplaced the videos.

Questions:

  1. Nate and I intended to assemble a simple sensor-activated LED. The use that comes to mind is that this could be employed as a part of a security system for anyone to protect their homes/valuables by warning potential burglars. If associated with an alarm, this is realizable. 
  2. I think code is often compared to following a recipe because there a simple procedures and steps you must follow in order to have the desired outcome. Just like if you forget to add a specific spice when cooking, the outcome will not be exactly what was intended, or could be ruined. In the end, coding is a step by step process.
  3. In my opinion, I believe today the computer massively influences human behavior. Manovich talks about the “footprint” left behind by users. We would classify these as cookies nowadays. With the use of AIs, advertisers are able to target you with specific advertisements that they believe suit you do to the footprints you have left behind. In my opinion, these actions result in humans experiencing a very narrow portion of the internet, that becomes more and more narrow the more they use it. Some people may claim that this is efficient, but I find it very problematic as it can create very narrow-minded people. 
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Week 4: Response to Eileen Fisher – Dominick

I really liked this article for the way that it highlighted how companies can act in both small and large ways to produce a more socially conscious company. Whether it was going through several experimental iterations to make their dying process more sustainable and use less harmful chemicals, or something as significantly smaller, and less costly, as revamping their headquarters to use less energy in lighting and implementing solar panels. Becoming sustainable tends to be a scary thought for companies due to the costs associated. Yet, I believe Eileen Fisher’s story helps companies understand that you don’t necessarily have to start with steps as big as massive process changes in your production phase, you can start by reducing the energy used in your offices through the use of solar panels (which will in the long run save you lots of $$$)!!! Being sustainable shouldn’t be scary, it can be a process that starts small and works its way through your company when plausible. 

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Week 3: Response to Hethorn – Dominick

I found Hethorn’s argument for designers to focus on individuals rather than groups to simply make sense. Fashion has always been a tool of projecting one’s individuality and uniqueness to those around them. Nothing is ever worse than realizing that someone you know owns the same shirt as you. It entirely devalues the article of clothing to yourself. It is no longer an embodiment of who you are, rather it represent a group of people. Personally, due to this common practice, I have accepted that is inevitable that someone I know will have the same article of clothing as me. For this reason, I have personally detached myself from having any emotional attachment to common clothing. Rather, I find myself projecting myself through the use of funky, colorful, and of course always applicable, socks. Although this is a personal preference, I find that in the current model of fast fashion, it is much easier to represent myself in a manner that few people put in the extra effort. Although supporting local small scale producers of clothing is also an option, they tend to be pricey, and it’s always much easier to find another cool unique pair of socks to potentially display to my friends.

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Week 3: Group 3 Presentation – Dominick

Team Members: Salomon Ruiz, Ji Hwan Shin

With the assistance of the Sarah Scaturro’s reading, “Eco-Tech Fashion: Rationalizing Technology in Sustainable Fashion”,  our group looked at the connection between technology and the fashion industry, and how technology can be used to make the fashion industry more sustainable. Each of us looked at a different section of the industry: Ji Hwan focused on the manufacturing aspect, I focused on the consumption aspect, and Salomon focused on the disposal aspect. 

For the consumption aspect of technologies involvement in the fashion industry, I felt it was important to highlight Scaturro’s argument that the connection experienced between individuals online allowed small businesses, which tend to use more sustainable processes to create garments, to have a platform for reaching out to local consumers and allows individuals to sell their used clothing, effectively prolonging the life of the garment. The two websites that Scaturro specifically mentioned were etsy and eBay. Etsy is a website that tends to focus on slow fashion practices, making each order as it is ordered, and to the specific details of the consumer, while outlining the sourcing of the materials, and the practices used to create the garment. On top of this, I thought about how technology has impacted me as a consumer. This instantly brought me to research further into interactive technology that allows consumers to be appropriately fitted, thus ensuring that the longevity of the clothing will be significantly increased due to the continual usability of the garment. I have used this method once, and it was honestly the best experience, and the best pair of pants I ever purchased, and still use to this day (probably about 6 years ago). For me, it was really exciting to see how this technology has advanced since then, moving to mobile apps rather than a stationary machine in the middle of the mall. This definitely makes this technology more accessible.