Final project - description & plans
I've decided to go ahead with the cluster of lamps idea for my final project.
Basically, it is four lamps capable of responding to gestures, connected wirelessly so that their response is synchronized. This is an evolution of the midterm project, which involved a single lamp. I was quite intrigued by the fluidity of the gesture control system, and wanted to do more with it.
Since the radios are quite powerful, it is possible for the lamps to be quite far away from each other. This has a practical impact: they can be used as a communications device, by interacting with a lamp you can send a message to someone next to a distant lamp. I also like the reference to the quantum physics concept of "action at a distance", where in some way the lamps are "entangled" and always in sync.
Since the lamps will be able to respond to any commands coming in over the Xbee radios, it should also be straightforward to write a program on the laptop that will talk to them and help them do more complicated things.
Keep reading for further information on implementation.
I am using a number of components which are all new to me:
1) Arduino Mini
2) multicolor (RBG) LEDs
3) AD5206 Digital Potentiometer
4) XBee radios (802.15.4)
The project is divided into a number of components:
a) Gesture recognition (taken from midterm)
b) Display routine
c) Wireless synchronization
d) Physical assembly
At this point, I think that b) will be the most fun, c) will take the most intellectual effort, and d) will take the most time.
I've already spent quite a bit of time assembling the radios, which all seem to work quite well (thanks Rob!), I have also experimented with the Arduino Mini and with the multicolor LEDs. Now the fun begins - assembly!
My plan is to assemble two of the control boards, each with an Arduino mini, an Xbee, and two 5206s. These are basically the control boards for the lamps. Next to them, I will make breadboards with all the lamps and sensors, as stand-ins for the final physical assembly.
I should be able to do most of my gesture, display and wireless coding with just these two boards, while in parallel researching the physical assembly.