Category Archives: Arlene Ducao

Arlene Ducao, Diego Cruz Castillo, Introduction to Physical Computing, Materials and Making Things by Hand, Peter Menderson, Projects

Buddy Pod

Diego Cruz Castillo

Play with your friends with a Buddy Pod remote controlled with your hand!

http://diegoitp.tumblr.com/physcomp

Description

A Pod Brawler is an RC vehicle that you can drive wirelessly using a glove. This glove gives you the power to accelerate, steer and go backwards.

The objective of this project is to explore electronic vehicles as extensions of our bodies. Based on popular references like Real Steel movie, Pokemon animated series, Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and Power Rangers series, people always dreamed of extending and intensifying their wills beyond their own bodies.

Because of current technology, we can manifest ourselves in the physical world without the dangers involving this exposure: physical damage, exhaust, or even death. In fact, throughout the years we have already replaced people with machines in the most dangerously jobs: assembly lines, mine detecting, going to Mars, etc.

With Pod Brawler, I hope to get an emphatic bond between the user and his pod, resulted from the intimate interaction both of them.

The pod consists of an Arduino and a motor driver shield, 2 DC motors, an LED screen for showing the remaining stamina and an Xbee module for wireless serial communication.

The glove has an Adafruit FLORA, a 9-DOF breakout (accelerometer,gyroscope and magnetometer), 2 flex sensors for controlling acceleration and an Xbee module as well.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing, Materials and Making Things by Hand

Arlene Ducao, Introduction to Physical Computing, Karthik Patanjali, Koen Holtkamp, Projects, Tom Igoe

Light Cycle

Koen Holtkamp, Karthik Patanjali

The 'LightCycle' is a unique lighting interface based around natural inputs from outside sources such as the light and temperature of a particular location as well as a way for the user to directly interact with their personal lighting environment.

http://www.koenholtkampitp.com/?p=193

Description

The 'LightCycle' is a unique lighting interface based around natural inputs from outside sources such as the light and temperature of a particular location as well as a way for the user to directly interact with their personal lighting environment. There are four individual settings, each of which have distinct parameters for the user to customize.

The 'Auto' mode reads the characteristics of your local outdoor environment via light and temperature sensors and then reacts to these elements by creating and inverse relationship to the actual natural light outside so when it becomes darker as the sun sets or clouds move in front of the sun the light indoors will become both brighter and warmer.

The 'Simulation' mode works similarly to ‘Auto’ but receives information from sensors placed in a remote location so if you are away from home you can get a sense of the light that your friends and family are currently experiencing or simply just experience the light in another part of the world.

The 'Cycle' mode is a reaction to the static nature of most lighting systems. A manual mode where the user sets the range of change in brightness and hue as well as the amount of time the change takes to occur. So for example, the user could set the cycle to change brightness over several hours if they wanted it to be more of a subliminal presence or a few minutes if they wanted to be more aware of the light changing over time.

The 'Floyd' mode creates a psychedelic light show based on input from an amplitude sensor. The light show reacts to the users choice of music to create a playful and hypnotic visual experience.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing, Introduction to Physical Computing

Arlene Ducao, Introduction to Physical Computing, Projects, Shaun Axani

Beatwalker

Shaun Axani

Beatwalker provides the soundtrack of your life through dynamically changing music that responds, in real time, to your movements.

http://shaunaxani.com/2014/12/03/beatwalker-updates/

Description

We fantasize about what the soundtrack of our lives would sound like: often times a beautifully crafted orchestra that reflects our daily activities not unlike a film’s musical score. Beatwalker realizes this aspiration for the fraction of the cost of hiring a composer and professional musicians. Through the use of a midi generating synth shield accompanied with the Arduino, a song is created in code with a series of variables that change based on input from the user. If a user speeds up, the song responds and speeds up as well. If they slow down, the song will respond. If a user changes direction, musical instruments will be added or subtracted. The result is a dynamic song that is written by someone walking to work, going for a casual jog, or getting lost and turning every which way on the busy streets of Manhattan. The song becomes personal to that user; that version will only ever be played once.

The final physical computing project is not due until December 11th, so the documentation is rough and the product itself is in refinement and improvement. But a working version of Beatwalker exists, and with more time and iterating it will only become more powerful and offer a wider range of musical accompaniment based on the user’s supplied input.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

Arlene Ducao, Introduction to Physical Computing, Jordan Backhus, Oryan Inbar, Projects, Sergio Mora

Void

Jordan Backhus, Oryan Inbar, Sergio Mora

A study on light and space and the intricacies therein.

http://www.oryan1.com/void/

Description

“Void” is an interactive art installation that manipulates light and physical space through the use of three-dimensional screens, computer-generated images, and sensors. The installation serves to provide an ethereal and experiential interaction arena, in which the installation directly responds visually to the proximities and movements of its user(s).

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing

Arlene Ducao, Introduction to Physical Computing, Materials and Making Things by Hand, Namira Abdulgani, Natalia Cabrera, Pat Shiu, Peter Menderson, Projects

Pulse

Natalia Cabrera, Namira Abdulgani, Pat Shiu

Two persons lay down and experience visual and sound representation of each other’s heartbeats. It’s a quiet and intimate exchange of our most vital sign.

www.pulseproject.net

Description

The experience requires two participants. Each of them get a pulse sensor attached to their index finger and a set of headphones, then lay down on a chaise lounge. White paper domes lower until they hover over the participant’s upper body, shielding out visual distractions from the environment and submerging them into the experience. Headphones provide the sound based on the heartbeat of each other, domes show a projection of visuals generated with heartbeat of each other, participants don’t know if they are experiencing their own or another vital sign. With time, sound gets louder, until it becomes the central point of focus and heartbeat rate tends to slow down. When one of the participants remove the pulse reader the domes come up and the experience is over.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing, Materials and Making Things by Hand