Background:

Much of our current understanding of memory looks to the chemical or material processes and physical structures that make up what we think of as the abstract concept of a “memory”. Memories are very real, very material things – they are believed to be a series of connections between synapses that are strengthened and weakened over time based on how frequently these memories are accessed, or rather how often chemical neurotransmitters and electrical currents transmit across a unique pattern of synapses.

Synaptic plasticity allows for us to strengthen memories through the use and reuse of synapsis as learning continues, previous thoughts and concepts are associated with new ideas, and the past is remembered. This strengthening has a material basis, with proteins being built or modified to increase connection strength between synapses. In the case of memories, the old idea of “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is believed to be true: If a memory is not frequently attended to, strengthened, or associated with the present, it weakens. The mind has a finite amount of resources, and maintaining an infinite amount of information – treating the most mundane details of our lives as equally important as the moments that we most treasure – would be inefficient and exhausting. Thus, we “delete” old or unnecessary memories from our brain, giving priority to those thoughts and ideas to which we refer to most.

This is a brief overview of the idea behind my project – that there is an ephemeral, material component to memory, and this “memory-matter” degrades over time as we fail to attend to it.

The Prism:

The prism consists of a clear plexiglass container containing a glass jar, woven heating elements, a button, and a thin block of solid coconut oil. The heating elements are constantly being powered by a battery inside the container, warming the solidified coconut oil and causing it to melt and be collected by the funnel into the glass jar below. However, when the button is pressed by the user, the heating elements are turned off, and an LED within the container’s funnel begins to pulse. When the user releases the button, the heating resumes.

This circuit and user interaction is meant to mimic the process of attending to the synaptic connections that form our memories. So long as we continue to remember specific details, those details cannot be forgotten. And so long as we continue to push the button, the oil cannot melt.

Materials:

for the circuit

• LED
• TIP122
• 100k ohm resistor
• 100 ohm resistor
• button
• 9V battery
• Nitinol/high resistance wire (tested multiple materials, and nitinol/muscle wire works best)
• Arduino Uno
• Alligator clips
• wire / conductive thread
• Breadboard
• Thermochromic paint/pigment + paper (for swatch to test heating elements)

for the container

• 4″x4″x6″ clear plexiglass cannister
• 6oz. glass jar
• Perforated plastic / needlepoint plastic sheet (to sew heating elements into)
• Small plastic funnel
• Coconut oil (room temperature or refrigerated to make solid)
• Plastic dowels/straws (to keep things in place)

The Heat Circuit

To test the heat circuit that you’ll be making, it’s helpful to prepare a small swatch of thermochromic pigment (material that will change color as it heats up) mixed with a clear medium (I used Modge Podge).

The circuit diagram for the heat controller was found at the eTextile Summer Camp website. They’ve generously provided the following Fritzing diagram:

This was the same circuit used in this project. The following video shows the circuit in action heating up the thermochromic swatch that was previously prepared:

(read more for the code)

The Code:
const int buttonPin = 2; // the number of the pushbutton pin
const int ledPin = 13; // the number of the LED pin

// variables will change:
int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status

void setup() {
// initialize the LED pin as an output:
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
// initialize the pushbutton pin as an input:
pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
// read the state of the pushbutton value:
buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);

if (buttonState == HIGH) {
// turn LED on:
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
}
else {
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
}
}

 Hypnosis Memory Therapy – Group Project

Group Member: Taylor; Binna; Max.

[Concept]

This machine is used to alter people’s memory in the future. Using Hypnosis Therapy to edit certain memories. Transforming bad memories into good ones. And vise versa.

User would think of a certain memory they want to edit and gaze into the revolving Hypnosis image, then their memory would be altered.

It will be used in therapy sessions as well as purchased by individuals to use at home.

[Output]

Thermochromic pigment; Flexinol.

[Process]

1. Attempt 1 – Theromochromic 

• Revolving Images – Two overlapping thermochromic pigment circles (Red & Blue) dissolve into each other.

• Heat Hypnosis Spiral -Beneath the revolving images is Spiral Shaped Flexinol. Apply Heat to it will show the spiral on the two images.

2. Attempt 2 – Motion – Flexinol 

• Flexinol Pulley – Prototype 1 

• Flexinol Pulley – Prototype

• Flexinol Pulley – Prototype 3

[Patterns]

MEMORY STAR

Memory Star is a memory storing tool for people in the future who have trouble sleeping.

Before bed, user simply touch the base and his or her memory will be stored in the star leaving the user a clear mind. User can fall a sleep like a baby without any heavy thoughts.

To reload the memory, user need to touch the wooden panel until the star turns white — allowing the memory to flow back.

Memory project
This can be a prototype – it is a homework assignment and you may work together if you wish

Design a tool that creates, saves, deletes, or alters memories. Imagine a possible or potential future in which your tool exists and who it’s users are. You can choose the definition of memory and what it means.

Memories define who we are. They can be impressions, bytes of data, feelings, objects, events, synapse firings. They can be individual or collective. Some of us have perfect memories, while others suffer from crippling degenerative diseases. They can be multi sensorial – based in touch, sound, motion, sight, and smell. They can grow stronger, weaker, or distorted with time.

For thousands of years, we have recorded our memories in various craft forms, using textiles, fibers, paper, wood, clay, etc as our dominant materials. With the rise of digital technologies, we now embed them in pixels and polymers, preserving them by the terabyte. For the most part, our memories are devoid of materiality. This will only increase as time goes on…

Materials:
Paper and fabric of various weights

Resources:
How-To: Work with Shape-Memory Alloy
(FYI we will be working with .006 flexinol)
SMA meets Smocking
More Physical Than Computing, Research on SMAs

Resources:
Building a heat controlling circuit
Painted Displays
4-channel color changing textile

Tools you need:
Sound recording module, old (working) pair of headphones, or a sound greeting card

Resources:
These are only a few of the vast resources – email me if you find more to include!
Sound amplifying circuits
Sound fabric

Slides from previous semester

Per our decision last class, we are taking a new approach rather than the traditional “I talk, You make.” Instead, I will introduce the heat-controlling circuit we will be working with then you will break out into interest groups: sound, heat + inks, and motion. You can dive deep into one or get a smattering of all three.

Here’s what you need to do before next class:
1) Look into the resources for the output you would like to learn:

+ SOUND
+ HEAT+INKS
+ MOTION

2) Bring the following materials to class in addition to your regular materials:
+ SOUND: Recording module from Radioshack, an old (working) pair of headphones, or a sound greeting card.
+ INKS: Paint brushes
Optional: Small trays for mixing/storing paint, different types of binders, inks, and paint to mix with the thermochromic
+ ALL: Paper and fabric of various weights

Below is your design brief for the next two classes. You will submit a homework assignment due 11/24 based on this brief:

Design a tool that creates, saves, deletes, or alters memories. Imagine a possible or potential future in which your tool exists and who it’s users are.

Memories define who we are. They can be impressions, bytes of data, feelings, objects, events, synapse firings. They can be individual or collective. Some of us have perfect memories, while others suffer from crippling degenerative diseases. They can be multi sensorial – based in touch, sound, motion, sight, and smell. They can grow stronger, weaker, or distorted with time.

For thousands of years, we have recorded our memories in various craft forms, using textiles, fibers, paper, wood, clay, etc as our dominant materials. With the rise of digital technologies, we now embed them in pixels and polymers, preserving them by the terabyte. For the most part, our memories are devoid of materiality. This will only increase as time goes on…