Author Archives: Liza

Week 5: Assignment

1) Behavior story! Pick a behavior (breathing, talking, etc) or emotion (sad, lazy, existential, etc) and create a circuit that exhibits this using the Arduino (or Lilypad), a switch (not sensors!), and an LED (or 2 or 3…). You should construct your switch and circuit traces using the techniques we have been learning in class. It should NOT be on a breadboard and you will probably need alligator clips.

2) Tell a story about your object. What is it feeling? How do you display this through code?

3) Bring your sensors from the previous week. We will plug them into Arduino.

Week 4 Assignment

(1) Choose one variable to test (distance, surface area, conductive material, substrate, etc) and make three sensors to test that variable. Make a hypothesis about each test BEFORE you construct the sensor then document your result.
For example, my variable is surface area. I will make three sensors out of papper, copper tape, and velostat, but I will change the surface area of the copper tape in each sensor. I hypothesize that the more surface area for copper tape…. (complete your own thought :))

> Be sure to answer the following questions in your documentation:
> What conductive materials are used? What non-conductive materials are used?
> How much of each material is used?
> What state changes occurred in the LED if any?
> What is the resistance of the conductive material?

(2) Make sure you bring your Arduino Uno and a breadboard to the next class. You can also bring a Lilypad, Flora, Mini, etc in addition to the Arduino Uno.

(3) You are *highly* encouraged to go to Maker Faire.

(4) Watch Masimo Banzi’s TED talk

(5) Learn a New Craft Project DUE NEXT CLASS

Assignment 3: Switches

1) 3 Switches!!
Part 1: Each of you should make three separate switches embedded in paper using the conductive material we have discussed in class. Each switch should have a core mechanic – or interaction – that turns the LED on and off. (Just a reminder that a core mechanic is the verb describing the action that turns the switch on and off – at least for our purposes.) Document all three on the blog and bring them to class.

For example, let’s say I chose “balancing” as my mechanic. Perhaps I would build a paper box out of tracing paper. In order to connect the circuit and light up the LED, I would have to balance a metal ball on top without crushing it. Or “winding” – I might wind conductive thread around or inside a paper structure to complete the circuit. Or “snapping” – I might use neodymium magnets to connect two paper structures (or more!) to complete the circuit.

Part 2: Choose one of your switches and write a *brief* story about it. Why does someone use it? What is the context for someone using it? Think of the LED as a proxy for another output. Use your imagination – it can be a fantastic or functional use.

For example, maybe my snapping switch above in actually a musical instrument. Played by 50 people at once. During the one holiday when people can play music in a dystopian future society. The act of creating music is no longer delicate but aggressive.

2) Email me your group for the Learn a New Craft project. Remember: You do not have to design an actual concept and project. This is literally for you to learn how to use a sewing machine or how to fold paper in complex ways or how to weave. It’s that simple :)

Please email me if you have anymore confusion around this assignment or the class content!

Learn a New Craft Project (Due 9/23)

Craft is deeply ingrained in our cultural histories. Crafting processes have been passed down through centuries, changing as new technologies emerge. People have refined processes and experimented with new materials to innovate in textiles, woodworking, metal casting, and so many more.
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Evan Roth Talk

Just stumbled across the *amazing* talk from DT alum Evan Roth, founder of Graffiti Research Lab. This is especially relevant for any of you starting your public space project or anyone pondering how to leverage small interventions to create big change. Take a break and watch it.

Week 2 Assignments

In-class Assignment:
Construct TWO parallel circuits:
- Use two or more LEDs on each.
- Use two different types of conductive material.
- Document each one and post it to the class blog as an in-class assignment. If one did not work, hypothesize why it did not and what you would do to make it work. (This should not take you too long.)

Assignment for next week:
Illustration project: Pick sentence or passage from a story that you like (children’s storybooks work VERY well). Illustrate one scene from that book and integrate a circuit into it using the materials we discussed in class. Post documentation to the blog and bring your final product into class.