Author: Rudy Song

In today’s recitation, my partner, Jessica, and I chose the Vibration sensor to play sound from a buzzer. We ran into some difficulties in coding, but with the help from fellows we made it through.

diagrams:

code:

We ran into some difficulties with code: initially, the speaker would not make noise. So we added the code for ToneMelody from recitation 2 into the code, but it still would not work, since it didn’t repeat. With the help from a fellow, we finally saw the code Knock, and set the sensor value as cont int threshold = 100. So using an if else statement, we set the SensorValue to be >100 so the Knock Sound would be registered.

Q1: 

We tried to build a sensor that makes a sound when it sensors a simple movement. It is quite common in daily life that you may find the extension of this circuit in alarms, annunciator etc. A vibration sensor could be used in protecting properties, or interactive games with toddlers. I would argue the gloves that translate sign language into sound could also be an extension of this vibration sensor. 

Q2: 

Code is often compared to following a recipe or tutorial. However, I would argue, in the case of Arduino, codes are actually more rigid and fixed that a recipe or tutorial. The code has to rigidly inputted in a manner that the computer understands, and in the case of Arduino, it seems difficult for computers to adjust to changing circumstances as the human does. However, in general, code is quite similar to recipe or tutorial in instructing a behavior, but it allows less room for interactivities but more for just rigidly translating.

I truly wish one day, a coding language would be as easy as instructing a person to do something with development artificial intelligence.

Q3: 

Going back to the earlier classes on computers and interactivities, I would argue the computer influence people in ways of interacting with each other a lot. Before the age of the computer, individuals are less likely to interact with each other remotely. Face to face interaction could happen from all different forms of senses, but remotely through computer people are restricted in ways computers are capable of delivering human messages. People now are more used to interact with emails, text messages, and video callings than before. The sense of interactivity is not limited to face to face anymore but the way people interact with each other is to a certain extent defined by the capacity of computers at the same time.

(1) Fade

Code: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Fade

(2) tone melody

Code: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/toneMelody

(3) speed game

the code can be found at https://www.tinkercad.com/things/6MzvN5rlZlr-race-the-led-spring19

(4) four-player speed game

Debriefing: the first three circuit building was going smoothly with the provided code and design. However, when doing the fourth one, we began with the mistake of wrong plugging of LED, – one of them was connected in the opposite direction, partly because of our messy connection. After fixing the circuit, it was still not working as suggested in the video above. With the instructions from fellows, we went back to examine the coding, although we couldn’t finish fixing the code on time. We realized it was the problem at setting the conditions since we simply copy-pasted the code for circuit 3, so it didn’t stand.  

Question 1:

The article mentions an interesting phenomenon of how computers see us, mostly from the sense of touching, hearing, and sight. In this case, it is because our interaction with computers is tied with touching and reading. Speaking is gradually becoming more important in our interaction with computers. I would argue that the interaction today we are having to a certain extent is limited by how technology functions. If we look at the circuits, the input is only touching, and the output is both from sound and lights. In this interaction, we are limited to the compacity and design of circuits.  However, we can also see that the interaction may not only involve one or two forms of senses, with the development of technology, we may also be able to see interactions involving all forms of human senses. Like 4D movies, and VR games. In the future, we may be able to see interaction involving brain wave, and we shall not limit our imagination in thinking about forms of interaction. 

Question 2: 

I would like to lay it out on a massive board on century ave. and makes it like a TV screen broadcasting the events and interesting stuff going on on campus. The information presented varies based on a weekly change on the display of the colors.

Upon taking this class, I knew little about building circuits, interactivities, even using the computer. Week 1 recitation was a bridging experience for me, and also gave me the nostalgia of middle school physic classes. Before working on the first circuits, I was terrified and didn’t know yet what I was going to do. Luckily, I was assigned a partner, Tom Zhu, who was willing to bear my ignorance and walk me through the first exercise.  Shout out to Tom!

(1) Door Bell

Components:

1*Breadboard: a baseboard for building circuits

1*Buzzer: makes sounds while there’s the right electric flow

1*100 nF Capacitor: stores electric charge as designed.

1*Switch: circuit changer; connect or block the electricity in the electric circuit.

1*LM7805 Voltage regulator: change the voltage level

1*12volt power supply: 12volt power provider for our circuit.

Several jumper cables: connect different components in the circuit.

1*Barrel jack: connect the power supply and the circuit.

(2) Lamp

Additional Components:

1*LED: makes light with the electric flow.

1*220ohm Resistor: the resistance to electricity flow.

(3) Dimmable Lamp

Additional Components:

1*10K ohm Variable Resistor: it provides variable resistance to block the electricity flow.  In this case, the change in electricity flow would vary the degree of lightness of the LED.

Debriefing of the building process:

I was confused and didn’t know how to start with the components, so my partner Tom has shown me the process of building circuit 1. I disembled the circuits he built and rebuilt it under his instructions. 

After gaining the basic knowledge, my partner trusted me and asked me to build 2, and 3 by myself. With his instructions and help, circuit 2 was built perfectly and went through the testing for its first time.

I have bumped into some problems with circuit 3 – the led didn’t blink as expected. Going into examining, Tom and I found that the led with connected in the opposite direction. After altering it, it worked. In general, the whole process was not that difficult, but for me, it took courage and patience to start the whole learning process. Thanks to Tom, the recitation ended with a happy ending.

Question 1: 

In the article, the author defined interactivity as  “a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak”. In fact, I would like to extend the definition to a cyclic process involving at least 2 actors with in possible forms of senses. If we look at the recitation this week, we are able to track every detail of interactivity definition. Building circuit 1, 2, and 3 involves the exchange from touching sense to sound and visual sense. In the meantime, I would argue the process of cooperating in building circuits as a group itself is a form of interactivity between two members as well as the components. In Buddism, the sutras argue that all form of existence and reality is built on the interaction involving at least two actors.

Question 2:

If we limit the definition of interactivity to a more practical standpoint, I would argue the Interaction Design and Physical Computing can actually extend the human capacity to interact with each other. Linking to the video, we can find multiple examples that Interaction Design and Physical Computing extend the human capacity in translating our senses of touch, sight and hearing into a higher form of presentation. In the meantime, we shall not limit ourselves into binding ourselves the forms of Interaction Design and Physical Computing we can do with art-making. Although we now highly rely on the sense of touch in building and sense of hearing and sight in receiving. Stuff like Siri and Alexa already proved us that speaking as a form of input is already a growing reality, so are other forms of human senses. Going back to question 1, I would argue that Interaction Design and Physical Computing is a developing tool of human beings in extending and linking all different forms human senses, and art-making, no doubt, is an important part of it.