arduino

Final outcome:

Our final arduino outcome was the thought bubble idea we had discussed previously. The user sits on a pressure-pad arduino circuit, which would then trigger a projection of a thought bubble behind the user. We decided to go for something fairly innocuous as our first graphic outcome, and projected playful images of things like kittens, toys, etc., to suggest the user is happily day-dreaming.

I think implemented properly, the idea could become something very worthwhile, however, the intricacies of the arduino programming and a reliance on Flash meant that our interface was much less slick than we envisaged. The pressure pads were very small and not overly consistent in their readings, so a smooth animation became quite difficult to achieve. A graphic interface such as the one we proposed to make needed to click immediately in the mind of the viewer, and unfortunately we were never truly confident enough in our grasp of the medium to provide a seamless, self-evident experience.

Twitter:

We felt that if the project were to continue for longer, it could possibly come to include some degree of twitter integration. If the outcome was to be situated in the foyer of the LSAD for example, it could be interesting for the LSAD's twitter feed to be projected, perhaps as bulletins, announcements, or tweets more specifically relevant to each course. A twitter account could be set up for students to tweet to for direct, live projection. In the art and design field especially, a web presence is an increasingly popular and important trait amongst successful practitioners, and an involvement of twitter could be welcomed by students

We found in our research that there are already a number of of arduino/twitter cross-overs, including this project where the creator is able to have a tea machine arduino controlled by twitter. If I were to work with arduinos again, this would be an area I would explore more fully

arduino

Arduino
session notes:


My first session with the arduino units led to an outcome where the user would cover a light sensor to poke the eye of an individual on-screen, imitating a real-life eye. The basics principles of the circuits are that they are adaptable, and based on open-source software or 'firmata.' The circuit worked in a basic way, and was easily put together if the task was approached methodically. As a raw form of technology, the arduino circuits could appear not to be a very user-friendly device, but the core traits of the systems are actually more simple than they seem.

groupwork:


Originally our ideas were centred around a farmyard or animal experience for children. We felt that children would respond well to output based around buttons, as they're immediate, tactile, and simply understood. In the end though, we found it difficult to come up with an outcome that wouldn't seem dated or simplistic in comparison to modern gaming.

After our initial session with arduinos, our group has arrived at the idea of an arduino "couch cam," a pressure-sensitive arduino circuit housed within the cushion of a chair. As the arduino is only responding to a set of behaviours that are already in place, i.e. the steady use of a chair, we felt the outcome would probably come across as more natural as a result.

Our ideas for potential uses of the arduino chair are:

• Thought bubbles - the pressure-sensor arduino projects randomly-selected thought bubble graphics behind the chair.
• Sound - the arduino triggers sound output from nearby speakers, which could be concealed. The audio could be the sound of a busy room that increases the longer the user sits in the chair, or perhaps a  voice that would seem to come from within the chair itself
• Timer - a timer graphic would record how long the user had sat in the chair, perhaps suggesting alternative ways to spend similar amounts of time
• Hungry monsters - in a canteen setting, a hungry monster graphic would seem to be lurking behind the user. This could also work as part of a "monster hunt" in a museum or learning space
• Propaganda - more of a fine art outcome, we imagined an arduino that would activate a camera opposite the chair. The video feed could then be processed in a graphic, "propaganda" style, and then projected in a pertinent location. We felt that having individual projected in an almost cult-like, aspirational way, whilst the actual individual remains totally unaware, had quite a playful, subversive quality to it, although as an whole it could have came across as slightly obtuse
• Counter - a simple counter graphic showing how many people have sat in the seat. Although obviously very simplistic, we thought that there could be an appealing mystery around why the number was rising.