Stupid Pet Trick: Attention-grabbing handbag
Every handbag makes a statement. I'm pretty sure that this shiny yellow one states something to the effect of, "Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!"
There are a lot of handbags out there, though - many of them larger, shinier and arguably more attractive than my awesomely bright and cheerful accessory. For our Stupid Pet Trick assignment, I decided to make some alterations to ensure that my yellow bag continues to stand out in any crowd. An LED on the bag ensures that it's noticed at all times - but upon sight of any handbag that poses a threat, a squeeze of a black coin purse that discreetly houses an FSR sensor causes two other LEDs in the bag to turn on, depending on the amount of pressure exerted upon the coin purse.
The portability of the handbag was severely decreased due to wires, a breadboard and Arduino - which also filled the bag to capacity! - so next time, a breadboard-less, soldered circuit will be the way to go.
Stupid Pet Trick: Attention-grabbing handbag from katherine keane on Vimeo.
Reviewing the Stupid Pet Tricks in class, we discussed possible ways to push this project further. Suggestions included:
- Use the magnetic snap on the bag as a switch to activate a security alarm, so the bag would light up when opened, OR add an audible alarm using the Tone library
- Put the sensor on the bag's shoulder strap, to require less input from the wearer to make the lights turn on. On the other hand, the in-hand FSR sensor provides the wearer with a greater degree of control to decide when more lights are necessary to keep the bag in the spotlight.
- For a subtler effect, create a bag that "glows" upon the wearer's command: construct the bag's exterior from a less opaque material, and the lining from a material that diffuses light, and place LEDs between the exterior and lining.
- Place the LEDs inside the bag, and use the magnetic snap as a switch to turn them on when the bag is opened, enabling the wearer to easily find specific contents within.
Below is the code I used:
int sensorPin = 0; // select the input pin for the FSR int ledPinOne = 9; //select the digital output pin for the 1st LED int ledPinTwo = 6; //select the digital output pin for the 2nd LED int ledPinThree = 5; //select the pin for the 3rd LED int sensorValue = 0; // the analog reading from the FSR resistor divider
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); pinMode(sensorPin,INPUT); //set the sensor as the input pinMode(ledPinOne,OUTPUT); //set 1st LED as output pinMode(ledPinTwo,OUTPUT); //set 2nd LED as output pinMode(ledPinThree,OUTPUT); //set 3rd LED as output }
void loop() {
// read the value from the sensor:
sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin);
//sensorValue = sensorValue/4;
Serial.println(sensorValue/4); // print the sensor value in the debugger
if (sensorValue <=100) {
// turn on ledPinOne
analogWrite(ledPinOne, 127);
analogWrite(ledPinTwo, 0);
analogWrite(ledPinThree, 0);
}
else {
//if the sensor value is between 120 and 180
if ((sensorValue > 120)&&(sensorValue <=180)){
analogWrite(ledPinOne, 255);
analogWrite(ledPinTwo, 127);
analogWrite(ledPinThree, 0);
}
else {
//if the sensor value is between 181 and 255
if ((sensorValue > 181)&&(sensorValue <=255)){
analogWrite(ledPinOne, 255);
analogWrite(ledPinTwo, 255);
analogWrite(ledPinThree, 127);
} } } }