Sara Taylor's NMD 342 Blog

Here is the process of my assembly! Here is the 3D print: And here is the print Primed for painting, along with the box it will sit on: Here is me attaching the wires through Bug: And here is the finished Bug! Here is what happens when you shut the lights off: I will include the video of bug working after Thursday's in-class critique.

At long last, I've completed my Bug. I will walk you through the last of my coding work through this post. Before retrieving my 3D print, I finished the last of my code. I swapped the white led for an RGB LED. This way, when you touch Bug's sensor, Bug will change color between red, green and blue. I've also coded BUG so that you CANNOT activate him unless it is dark, so you are supposed to play with Bug in the dark. I've also modified the tone that Bug plays upon touch. Here is the code in action: Here is my commented code:  #include <MedianFilter.h> // https://github.com/daPhoosa/MedianFilter #include <CapacitiveSensor.h> //Found in Arduino Library MedianFilter test(20,0); //used to smooth data from touch sensor CapacitiveSensor capSensor = CapacitiveSensor(4,2); //connect touch sensor to pin 4 and 2 int threshold = 50; //threshold for touch sensor bool pass = false;  //int ledPin = 13; int photocellInput = 0; //photoresistor to pin 0...

For Phase 3 I made a 3D modeling the vessel to hold the light. It will be a 2 tier structure in the general shape of a ladybug. I will use the photoresistors as the antennae of the bug so they can be visible yet remain unaffected by the glow of the LED. The LED will be underneath a shield shaped like a ladybug, with holes like a ladybug's spots for the light to shine through.  I will complete this AND will work on building the capacitance switch during this week. Printing the ladybug and assembling will be the final step in completing the project, which will be stage 4. Here is a rough sketch: 3D Model: In terms of hardware, I've created the capacitance switch and linked it to the "buzzing" sound to imitate a sort of "purr". Here is a video of it in action: And here is the code: (It may change by next week but this is mostly finalized) #include <MedianFilter.h> #include <CapacitiveSensor.h> MedianFilter test(20,0);...

PROTOTYPE: So far I have established the essential interactions for my companion pet. I have a button, buzzer, LED and photoresistor. That is 2 inputs, with the final potential for many outputs. Instead of the button in the final version, I will be using a strip of tape to act as a capacitance switch so that one may actually "pet" the robot. I may possibly also use an RGB LED instead of just a white LED, but that will depend on if I can arrange the wires correctly. Here is the prototype's current code: int ledPin = 2; int photocellInput = 0; int soundPin = 9; int button = 4; void setup()  {   Serial.begin(9600);   pinMode (button, INPUT);   pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);   pinMode(soundPin, OUTPUT); } void loop()  { photocellInput = map(analogRead(0),0,1023,0,254);      if(photocellInput < 25){       digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);       }       else {       digi...

PROPOSAL For my final project, I would like to create a “sort of robot” companion. I’ve always enjoyed looking at the cute little robots that people on the internet make, and have always wanted a robot pet. However, robot pets are very expensive, so I want to see what I can do with what I have. I want to create a robot that responds to touch and levels of light. I want the robot to react to sensor information with its own light and sounds. I want the robot to companion and comfort during times of stress. I want the robot to provide a glow when in darkness and to “purr” in some manner when touched.  There will be many things I have to consider with this project. I want the robot to be responsive, but not so responsive that it is annoying. I want the robot to be able to be appreciated from afar and up close, so I have to figure out how to manage response levels. I will have to work with photoresistors for this project, which are fairly fickle so I will have to figure out how to smo...

Takeaways and Questions from the reading: Takeaway: Every design decision should be purposefully decided with the intention of fulfilling the goals of your informative experience. Takeaway: How you organize data is vital to the informative experience. You have to consider what you are trying to get users to experience in order to understand how you should organize that data. For example, the chronological listing of deaths in the Vietnam Memorial in DC would have a lot less of an impact if they were in alphabetical order because the message would be unclear. Takeaway: Physical computing isn’t always necessary to create meaningful experiences considering that there are “only a few categories of successful interactive media products: children’s books and lessons, games, reference works, and pornography.” Most of these successful products have nothing to do with physical computing. Concern: The article criticizes the use of random, “meaningless” interjecting data, the example bei...

Last Thursday, Nimesha introduced us to his work and his values as a designer. He showed us his virtual cocktail and his device to include more sensory information with VR. He told us that the concept holds more value and slowly working to achieve our long term goals holds more value over getting projects done.  While I do not disagree with this, I did not originally have a long term goal in mind for this project anyway. Nimesha suggested that I use my companion robot idea and turn it into a companion that can imitate those who are lost, like pets or grandparents. I don't really...morally agree with this idea? I think death is a thing that shouldn't be tampered with, and bringing dead loved ones back to life with a robot seems a little too intense and crosses some natural boundaries. Today, the 16th, Nimesha didn't have an actual plan for us to go over. He seemed more interested in other students that happened to be in the hackerspace that was working on other projects...