Edson Soares

A disco-ball controlled by the heartbeat and clapping hands.

http://www.hiedson.com/discontrol

Description

Imagined to inspire people to dance, the Discotech is a retro artifact with a touch of physical interaction. Its main parts include a suspended Disco Ball connected via bluetooth with a glove. The glove captures the pulse of the user making the brightness vary according to the heartbeat. Also, If the user claps the hands, the color of the lights change. It can be one solid color, a combination of different colors or a full rainbow. It’s kitsch! It’s fun! It's about staying alive.

The color change happens on a LED strip that floats around the Disco Ball (think of Saturn covered of mirror tiles). The glove also receives a few LEDs so the user has a closer feedback of the effect that is being produced without the need of looking up to the ball all the time. After all, the user needs to be free to dance!

For a successful outcome, the piece needs to be placed in a dark space, allowing the lights to be reflected on the walls. This is also important for acoustic isolation, as music would work as a background effect while people interact with the ball. It doesn’t need to be placed in a big space, but some black curtains could be useful for the isolation if placed in a shared room.

Classes

Introduction to Physical Computing