Interaction Lab Recitation 3: Sensors by Nathalie White

Introduction

This activity served as an introduction to sensors. My partner and I decided to include an Ultrasonic sensor in our circuit. We made an instrument (really, “noise-maker” is a more accurate descriptor) that would play notes of different pitches depending on the musician’s distance from the sensor. If the musician got closer, the pitch of the note got higher. In the end, we also included a Force-sensing resistor so that the musician could control when the instrument made noise- ultimately allowing him/her to allow what notes to play.

Process and Results

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 wanted to create an instrument that would react to movement. A more sophisticated version of our circuit could be used for performance art, or as a way to help people who are unable to use/ have lost their hands get involved in the creation of music. 

Question 2:

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

I think it is because code, like a recipe or a tutorial, is an algorithm: a series of step by step instructions that specify how a process should be carried out. Just like a recipe tells a chef what he is supposed to add to the dish he is preparing, code tells the computer what a programmer intends.

Question 3:

In 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?

Computers have reformed and automated many man-made processes, changing how we see ourselves, how we interact with each other, what we do with our days and how we do it. I believe we now expect everything to happen instantly. If we want to go on dates, we no longer have to work up the courage to ask someone for a phone number- we can just use apps like tinder to swipe right. Or “slide into their DMs”. If we need to do some research we no longer have to go through endless encyclopedias- we just Google it (or Bing! it, but if you are doing this, you’ve made some questionable choices). I believe that although the computer and all the technology that has resulted since its creation have advanced our society enormously,  they may be hindering our concentration and patience.