Final Project Proposal & Flip dots

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People are always on their cellphones checking notifications. In a way, we have become cyborgs because of this behavior. The world we perceive no longer consists of only cityscape but also data structure. And in returns, our data becomes parts of us as well, a long with our flesh and bones. This idea inspired me to create a wearable piece that responds to your phone’s notification. Every time a notification pops up, the flip dots on the necklace will be activated. When an user wears the necklace, they become one with their data as their mind constantly moves back and forth between the physical and the digital world.

I have created a semi-functional prototype for this idea. The biggest issue I have currently is how to hook it up to a phone. I have been looking into TouchOSC and Ardunio OSCuino but they only allow me to control the arduino using the TouchOSC app instead of from the notification settings.

 

Aim + Tong – Final Proposal

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For the final, Aim and I are creating a wearable that has its own self-defense mechanisms. We want to design this wearable in order to respond to the design question of: How do we reshape biologically after living a traumatic memory of sexual abuse?

Our wearable consists of 3 mechanisms, one situated on the spine, another on the neck and the last one on the palms. For the spine, we are thinking of creating moving spikes with 12 flip dots. For the neck, we will be using flexinol to make the shape change into sharper edges. The hands will consist of speakers that will produce sounds to scare the enemy away.

 

Final Proposal

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For our final, Aaron, Dylan, Lucien and I are collaborating together on a game that we are creating for The New Arcade and Computational Craft. For this game, Lucien will be working on the programming aspect for the game, meaning that Aaron, Dylan and I will be working on the controller.

The game will be a multiplayer competition game, in which players take on the persona of an owl. The goal of the game is to capture and safely secure as many items as you can in your nest by the end of the game. There will also be power-ups that players can take, which temporarily gives that player the power to steal items from other players nests.

This is the first prototype of our game controller. It is an owl. The head of the controller can be turned 360 degrees controlling the direction the players respective owl in the game. This is done by using a potentiometer, which we will map to Unity. In addition to being able to control the direction of the owl, players can “fling” their owls in the direction they desire. We are incorporating flip-dots for the eyes of the owl, which will be used to fling the owls. The flip dots are connected to a handle, kind of like a pinball machine handle. When the handle is pulled, the eyes flip, completing a circuit, and launching the game owl.

In addition to the four owl plushie controllers, we are aiming to create a table for the game. Because this is a multiplayer game, we feel that a monitor might be too small for players to enjoy the game. Our plan is to build a table which is empty in the middle, so that we can attach a screen to project the game on to from the bottom.

Assignment 11 Flexinol

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For this assignment, I made an alligator-bear-puppy monster thing yawn. I wanted the creature’s mouth to be closed all the time, and sometimes it opens, so it looks like its yawning. I will have to rethink the way things are placed and assembled. Right now, it looks more like the creature is closing its opened mouth. I was also expecting the mouth to close completely, but it didn’t. Additionally, I think I will need to be more careful about which resistors I use in the future. The resistor I used was too small and ended up getting burnt out.

 

Final Project: Design Brief

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Final times! Woohoo! Here are your final deliverables:

DUE TUESDAY, 12/12

1) WORKING PROTOTYPE
You MUST bring your prototype to show – even if it is not working. If you require a specific environment, please email me.

2) PRESENTATION
You will have 7 minutes to present. This includes time for feedback, so structure your presentation accordingly. Your should include the following in your presentation ( in whatever order you like):

  • Concept
  • Precedents
  • User testing + feedback
  • Process documentation
  • Video of project demo
  • Challenges you faced
  • Future iterations

3) VIDEO DOCUMENTATION
You should make a short video introducing your project. It should include the title of your piece, your concept, and a prototype demo.

DUE WEDNESDAY, 12/20 AT MIDNIGHT (I will not accept late submissions)

1) BLOG POST

  • Create a short post on the blog with The link to your Instructable.
  • Text of your project description from the Instructable
  • Any other documentation links.
  • A short reflection on your process. What were your wins, challenges? What did you learn?
  • Where would you take it next?

2) INSTRUCTABLE
Here are the components you should have:

  • Title. IMPORTANT: Make your title descriptive or catchy so it easy for people to find. If you have a more abstract title, include a subtitle. For example, Vague textiles VS Vague textiles: Using thermochromic ink to change fabric surfaces
  • Intended audience. Who is this for? Beginners? Textile coders of the 23rd century? Elementary afterschool STEAM club? Let people know what prior knowledge they need so they don’t have unreasonable expectations before jumping in.
  • Description of the project. Write a few sentences on why you made it, what it does, what you hoped to accomplish, challenges you might have faced, and where you would take it next.
  • Materials list. List the materials you used and link to where people can purchase. Here the materials list for the class. Email me if you cannot find a link to a material we used.
  • Video documentation. Include the video described above.
  • Steps to make it. Write all of the steps needed to recreate your project. Include images or diagrams to supplement.
  • Circuit diagram. Be sure to include a circuit diagram or drawing.

 

ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

I will assess your project by the following criteria:

Ideation, Concept, and Design

  • Incorporates computational concepts discussed in class
  • Able to translate ideas/concepts into project form within a given environment
  • Thoughtful integration of design elements
  • Presents functioning prototype.
  • Presents working documentation if was unable to get working
  • Synthesizes design and technology to create interesting and contextually significant work that makes contributions to the domain

Process + Materials

  • Thoroughly documented according to class guidelines
  • Uses materials and processes learned in class
  • Synthesizes materials and processes to make relevant contributions to field
  • Iterated prototypes
  • Demonstrated effective problem-solving/ finding skills
  • Scoped approach to project and sculpted according to personal goals, strengths, and weaknesses

Presentation

  • Articulated concept and problem statement clearly
  • Prepared for presentation (slides ready and prototype set up)
  • Addresses all required elements for presentation
    • problem statement/question you are trying to answer
    • audience (who is this for? we are designers, which means we design for someone or something.)
    • concept statement
    • precedents/inspiration
    • process/prototypes
    • what you learned
    • where you would take the next iteration

 

OPTIONAL THEME: MEMORY
Questions and prompts from in-class activity:

  • How do we biologically alter memories to get rid of trauma?
  • How can we reflect on joyful moments from our memory?
  • Why are we fearful of losing our memory
  • What kind of memories do we cling on?
  • To what extent is memory uncomfortable?
  • How do memories help us progress through our lives?
  • Why do we need to remember things?
  • Why do fleeting moments bring nostalgic memories?
  • Why do memories make you feel lonely?
  • What is the point of remembering loved ones from the past?

Since we ran a little short on time, I am also including a few notes below that I hoped to incorporate into our discussion. They are meant to provoke ideas and questions:

Human memory
Most people would argue that it is our memories which comprise our sense of self, our values, habits, perspectives – our identity. There are three types of human memory: sensory, short term, and long term. Sensory handles information you receive in your immediate environment, such as the feeling paper or the smell of a burnt LED. Short-term memory allows you to hold some information for a short amount of time. Long-term memory goes deeper: it allows you to store vast amounts of information over long periods of time. These will influence who you perceive yourself and others to be. You may consciously build these memories or construct them without full self awareness. We have personal memories and collective memories, and they may not always align.

Digital Memory
Digital memory gives us the ability to store infinite amounts of information that we can retrieve at any moment. While digital memory may seem abstract and intangible, it cannot live without a physical component, the hardware of switches, ICs, capacitors, transistors, resistors, and so on. This hardware was not always small enough to fit into our hands. In the past, increased memory meant increased size. Now we are able to recall any piece of information anywhere. Some of this memory is volatile and lives on only when powered, while others are stored semi-permanently. Some memory allows users only to read or only to write or to both read and write new memories.

Material Memory
A material’s memory depends on its form and properties (tensile, mechanical, electrical, or otherwise). Softer materials like paper, textiles, and wood can be manipulated into new forms, storing new “memories” that redefine their functions (e.g. a piece of fabric sewn into a shirt, a piece of wood turned into a handle on the lathe, etc). Smart materials have the ability to change states by altering their properties and forms. SMAs return to a programmed shape when activated, thermochromic pigment disappears with heat, conductive fabric has electrical properties in addition to textile properties. The look and feel of a material impacts our sensory memory and contributes to the user’s overall experience with an object or environment.

Suggested Readings:

Becoming Materials: Material Forms and Forms of Practice by Jenny Bergström, Brendon Clark, Alberto Frigo, Ramia Mazé, Johan Redström, and Anna Vallgårda

Poetic Computation Reader by Taeyoon Choi
Ch 2: Memory: to remember and forget

Flip Dot Tests

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After class, I undertook some further testing to find a solution for flipping our dots back and forth without having to constantly reverse alligator clips. I found one solution on this post from Stitching Worlds.

Instead of using one coil, create TWO coils and embed them in your crochet or embroidery ring (be sure to mark which coil is which). Each side gets its own power source. When you switch between activating a coil, it will flip the dot back and forth (one side is regular hemetite and the other has a bit of copper paint on it):

DIY eTextile Actuators: Flip Dots from Liza Stark on Vimeo.

Full circuit with dual power source

Right side activated

Left side activated