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We will be meeting our partner on Thursday during lab.

We will need 8 LED strip connectors, 2 white pixel dot star strips, 15 large white LEDS and 5 large blue LEDS. Because our partner has not yet sent us the measurements of the project, we do know know how much wire we need.

The RGB values of the colors that we will use for the dot star lights around the poncho will be: 244, 24,24: a bright red, and 239, 119, 0: a bright orange. This is for the sting animation.

For the bioluminescent animation, the lights will turn 38, 224, 174: a bright teal and 108, 48, 229: a deep indigo color.

#circuit diagram #final project prep

Description

For our final project we will be designing a bioluminescent jellyfish poncho. Most deep sea jellyfish seem to glow with white, blue or teal light, so we will primarily be using those colored LEDs. There will be a line of sewable neopixels that run along the circumference of the poncho’s bell, as well as individual LEDs inside orbs of cheese cloth, connected via braided plastic strands. The poncho’s base fabric will be muslin, with a layer of iridescent fabric and plastic coating it.

Materials:

12 Sewable neopixels

Squarewear computer

High sensitivity light sensor

20 White LEDs large

10 Blue LEDs large

Wires

plastic strands

muslin fabric

iridescent fabric

The squarewear will be located on the wearer’s sternum, tucked into a pocket of fabric in the poncho’s muslin. The light sensor will be nearby the squarewear with a small hole cut out in the fabric so that it can detect light.

Personality Modes:

Mode 1: Name: Chill Jellyfish

Speaker

Colors: Blue and White

The LEDs in the orbs at the bottom of the poncho will fade on and off in a line, mimicking the movement of a jellyfish peacefully swimming through the ocean.

Mode 2: Name: Stinging Panic

Colors: Red Neopixels

Listener

The neopixels sewed in along the circumference of the poncho will flash on and off rapidly, symbolizing the jellyfish stinging something. This reaction will be triggered by bright light from another creature.

Mode 3: Name: Bioluminescent

Listener

Colors: Teal neopixels

The neopixels sewed in along the circumference of the poncho will fade in and around the poncho. This reaction will be triggered by a lack of light.

#final project #discussion meeting

What is Technology’s Role in Health?

I believe that wearable technology/technology in general has greatly contributed to the public’s health and well being. The first thing that comes to mind are life alert necklaces. A simple necklace that can summon an ambulance at the press of a button has likely saved countless lives. Enabling the general public to communicate with EMTs so easily is just one of the many potentials of wearable technology. Other wearable technology that comes to mind are those that assist with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and asthma. Any small portable device that helps patients monitor their own conditions/administer treatment without visiting a doctor is also a great way to improve life quality.

The SEAL seems like a great idea but I wish that the video had a more concrete explanation as to how it differentiates between regular splashing and drowning. I think that the Jawbone and sports bra have already been outshined by devices like the fitbit charge HR, as those can monitor distance traveled, sleep, calories burned and heart rate.

#discussion

Lab 5 Eye Design

Blog Question 1.1:

Partner A's light sensor value: __960____ (on) __740_____ (off)

Partner B's light sensor value: __740____ (on) __350_____ (off)

Blog Question 2.1: What does the above code do? If you're not sure where to place the code, discuss with your partner where are your options?

The above code allows me to control when the white light turns on depending the amount of light the sensor detects.

Blog Question 2.2: Where should you put this code? Within which method? Between which lines?

I put this code at the end of the void loop.

Blog Question 2.3: What happens when you the two "reflector" SquareWears interact? Does one light up? Does both light up? Neither?

They would both light up so long as they both had the appropriate amount of light input

Blog Question 2.4: What will happen if your modify the programs so that the white light turns on when the SquareWear detects that it is in the dark? Does one light up? Does both light up? Neither?

You would have to change the > sign to a < sign and lower the value. This would make the light shine in the dark, but if both had that code, they would turn each other off due to other light.

Blog Question 3.1: In the loop method, what does the "speaker mode" code do? Describe what you expect the square wear to look like while it is in "speaker mode."

The speaker mode is essentially just a modified blink code. The speaker square wear is the one creating output for the listening squarewear to react to. I expect the speaker to flash on and off.

Blog Question 3.2: In the loop method, what does the "listener mode" code do? Describe what you expect the square wear to look like while it is in "listener mode."

The listener mode makes the squarewear react to the speaker mode, making the light flash in reaction to the other LED.

Blog Question 3.3: Cover the light sensor with your finger. What do you observe?

The light turns off. When I remove my finger it flashes white 3 times and then turns red again.

Blog Question 3.4: Hold the light sensor under a bright light. What do you observe?

When under a bright light it flashes white 3 times and then continues to turn red

Blog Question 3.5: Now see if you can facilitate communication between the two square wears. Can both call? Do both respond? You may need to adjust the threshold values in order to trigger the response.

Yes both can call and respond

Blog question 4.1: Try experimenting with the auto-calibration. Cover the light sensor with your finger and remove it repeated during auto-calibration? After the calibration is complete, does covering the sensor and removing it cause the SquareWear to react?

After the calibration is complete, covering the sensor and removing it makes the light turn off.

Blog question 4.2: Load the link program onto one of the SquareWears and calibrate the other square wear to the blink. After calibration is complete, does the blinking square wear cause the calibrated square wear to react?

It only causes the calibrated square wear to react a bit, but it calibrates somewhat similarly to how it normally does.

Blog question 4.3: Load the auto-calibration program onto both SquareWears. See if you can use the RGB LED blinking to calibrate each of the SquareWears from each other. After calibration is complete, do the square wears react to one another?

After calibration is complete the squarewears blink rapidly back and forth at one another when they face each other. When they are simply lying down they remain white.

Blog Question 5.1: Try changing the frequency of the buzzer. How does changing the frequency make the pitch sound higher or lower? Try a few values.

Making the frequency number higher lowers the pitch while increasing the number heightens the pitch

Blog Question 5.2: Sounds add another dimension to your creature. In a few sentences, discuss how you could add personality and individuality to your creature with light and sound.

You could input music notes to make your creature sing a sound. You could make a “dialog” by having high pitched sounds represent happiness while lower pitched sounds represent sadness.

#lab

Scene 4

Physical Description: Image of 3 cats and 1 dog in space, printed on regular paper and reinforced with construction paper, 3 blue LEDs, 1 green LED, copper tape, solder, one SquareWear computer and wire.

Within my four scenes, the emotions are as follows: Relaxation, Excitement, Anger, Acceptance.

In the first scene, the space cats are interacting as they normally do and are at peace. In the second scene, the dog appears and excites them. In the third scene, two of the cats get into an argument about the newcomer, and it is revealed at the very end that the dog hear everything. The final scene is intended to show the animals overcoming their differences and blinking in harmony.

I had a lot of issues with connectivity. I ended up having to re-do most of the connections and had to solder everything to make it work. While I enjoyed the coding aspect of this project, I also wish we had learned more about boolean statements, void loops and button presses. In the class before this lab, I feel like we only really scratched the surface by learning about defining variables in the void set up, but were on our own for the more complicated things.

links to videos of my scenes can be found here:

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

#project 4 #emotional creatures

Scene 4

Scene 3

Scene 2

Scene 1

Lab 4: Story Telling

Blog Question 1.1 When I press on the button, it makes the light on the Squarewear light up, when I release it, the light goes off.

Blog Question 1.2: To get the light to remain on, and turn off when pressed, I switched the LOW and HIGH in the code to read like this: void loop() {

if(digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {

digitalWrite(LED, LOW);

delay(100); // simple debounce

} else {

digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);

delay(100);

}

Blog Question 2.1: What happened when you held the button down? The cycle kept trying to restart itself. Each button press triggered a cycle.

Blog Question 3.1: What happened when you held the button down? Explain how this is different from the behavior in Step 2. The light would go to the next color in the rainbow, but holding it down was the same as pressing it. Unlike the cycle trying to restart itself, it remains within the cycle because a button press does not reset the cycle.

Blog Question 4.1: What happened when you shined the light on your SquareWear? The threshold of mine was a lot more sensitive. I had to cover it with both of my hands to get the light to turn off, otherwise the light would remain on.

Blog Question 5.1: What three values did you choose? How did you choose those values? Did any of the values make the LED light up? I chose 300, 850 and 1000. The higher values made the LED turn off without a flashlight light on it. I chose these values to see what thresholds of light were in the classroom vs on my phone.

Blog Question 6: When I left the Squarewear resting on the desk, the values stayed in the 900 range.Upon shining my phone light on it, the values increased to around 1000. When I cupped the squarewear in my hands to hide it from the light, the values dropped anywhere from 300-0, depending on how much light I let in. Around 400, the red light would turn off.

Why is “Crappy” Compelling?

I think that these distinct looking DIY robots are appealing because they are not threatening. They are all some level of ridiculous, being composed of lego pieces and empty food boxes, ad therefore, are all creations that the average person could create. Unlike the more intimidating robot competitions, in which sleek and perfect looking bots duke it out, Hebocon has a much more friendly atmosphere. I think the two videos alter the public view of technology in the sense that it becomes less of some incomprehensible enigma. It assures the viewer that they do not need to have a degree in robotics to create their own tech, and normalizes it as a general skill. In the same way that most of us are not famous chefs but still cook, I think these videos will help tech saviness spread.

If things like Hebocon become more widespread, I think they have the potential to change society’s vision of technology. In particular, I believe that it will make technology seem much more accessible. Most people buy their tech rather than make it, due to the fear that they could never hope to comprehend how their machines work. And while this may be true of advanced devices like smart phones and PCs, less complicated devices like headphones and watches are well within the DIY realm. Given the chance, I would eagerly participate in an event like Hebocon, and I would encourage my friends to as well. I think that crafty creative types would be the most eager to join, once they realized that certain types of robotics were not so challenging.

#discussion post

Vision of Tomorrow

It seems that nearly every piece of wearable technology showcased in the video ended up with its features condensed onto a smartphone. In particular, the ability to send emails on the go and dictate emails transferred over. However I thought that the digital touchpad that allowed one to handwrite messages was interesting, but it doesn’t seem like that has become as commonplace as typing. Of course there are plenty of tablets that come with pens but it’s more of an extra feature than the main function. And of course, taking photos and videos without having to lug around a large video camera ended up being a key feature of every flagship smartphone on the market.

Looking at the amazing leaps and bounds we’ve made with technology in the past two decades, I’m excited to see where the future takes us. I believe that the next up and coming thing will be wearable technology that does not require a screen. For example:

While smartphones are truly amazing devices, I think that developers will move forward by making them more durable and occupy less space

It is already becoming commonplace for most phones to be water proof or at least splash resistant; so how about phones as small as watches with just as much power?

#discussion post

I learned a lot about how to program in Arduino. I really enjoyed uploading my sketches to see how just a few lines of code could change the color of the light and alter the way that it flashed. I experimented with the touch sensor mode as well as the music box. I also experimented with connecting the LEDS using a wire to examine how the arduino pins worked.

I am going to make a felt fire with red, orange and yellow lights that flash one at a time and then all at once.

#gif #squarewear #lab 3

Discussion 4 - Connect or Disconnect

Many baby boomers antagonize younger generations for being glued to our phone screens, but google glass could keep us connected while aware of our surroundings. If you’re out to dinner with friends and your family calls, you can simply shake your head to send the call to voicemail rather than fishing for your phone to shut off the notifications. Instead of walking around with our heads bowed, we will be able to enjoy our surroundings while browsing the news. So in essence, if technology is perfected to the point that wearable become intuitive to our lives rather than a hindrance, I believe that they will allow us to more easily connect with one another. With smartphones becoming a necessity for work in the modern world, wearables could help keep us off our phones and in the moment.

I am also a big fan of the handless photo taking capabilities that wearable technology offers. It is perfect for amateur photographers, saving them the precious seconds it may take for them to whip out their phone and snap a shot. Its video sharing capabilities are also great for any long distance skype conversations, and offer a great way to give whomever you’re speaking with a live tour.

And of course, there is a risk for overindulgence, which may lead to a disconnect between the user and reality. But this is an issue of individual self control. Ultimately, the way in which we use technology is our decision, and if we decide to use it in moderation, it has the potential to greatly improve our communities.

#discussion 4 #discussion post

Here is the sample circuit that I made before beginning my actual project. First, I designed a schematic on a piece of foam, then used conductive thread to wrap around the negative and positive ends of the LEDS. While I have done hand sewing before, I struggled with this because the thread was not double tied, and I had to pull the length of it through each stitch I made. I also had trouble with wrapping the thread around the loops of the LED, and ensuring that they didn’t slip out the side.

I am nervous to try applying this to a more complicated project because of the precariousness of the battery placement, as well as the potential for the threads to cross.

#project 2 #soft circuits

Discussion 3 - Replacing Tradition

While wearables do have the potential to change the way in which society functions on many levels, I believe that a lot of large scale changes will take decades to become common place. At the moment, I think that most wearable technology (beyond headphones and fitbits), are incredibly niche, and not on most of the population’s radar. Therefore, investing in wearables takes research time and money. In particular, wearables that alter the way that we purchase and sell products will probably not be on the horizon for a long time.

While America is certainly a very plastic over cash society, there are still many other developed nations that rely very heavily on paper currency (such as tech giant, Japan). I can’t imagine jumping straight from cash to wearables, and even the transition from credit cards to wearables seems daunting. I say this not because wearables are inconvenient (quite the opposite), but because of all the security issues surrounding such a change. While many banks have mandated that their patrons switch to the chip instead of swipe, there are still many weak spots in the world of digital finance. Scammers and hackers have become as common place as muggers, and I can only imagine the physical violence that might ensue if people’s savings were literally worn on their sleeve.

In addition to the dangers of wearable transactions, I think that the technology showcased in the “Money No Object” video is highly impractical. While I applaud Ms. Hinder’s aspiration to make human interactions more genuine, I think that hugging a stranger to pay for your latte is a bit too much. Similarly, even a handshake is not something I would be excited to do. As someone who has spent quite a bit of time on the service end of the counter, shaking hands/hugging every patron is a serious health and hygiene issue. Additionally, if you must hug or engage in some sort of physical contact with someone to receive payment, it turns affection into something that you expect to be compensated for.

While I am incredibly critical of Hinder’s particular application of wearable technology, I do think it has great potential for certain methods of payment. For example, when she presses her hand against the glass separating her and the seller, and he does the same. This exchange is so much faster than rifling around in one’s purse to get a debit card, and I can imagine how much more quickly lines would move if people could simply brush their hands over a sanitized surface. Once again, this is also vulnerable to the security concerns addressed above, but with a lot of research and field testing, it could become the safest way to pay. Rather than external broaches on clothing, I am imagining payment methods that are fulfilled upon DNA recognition. While this sort of technology may be too advanced/expensive to become part of daily life, I think it would be cool if there were rings or bracelets synced up to the user’s genetic code, that would only allow payment by their user.

#discussion post #money no object

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