Miles Peyton, Jeffrey Houng

Introduction:

In this age of robots becoming smarter and smarter, where they are starting to emulate living and natural behavior, we wanted to create an autonomous robot that exemplified organic and natural movement. Through this study, we found conductive rubber that was laser cut in a zig-zag pattern, that when twisted, has a very odd, almost gross nature to it, building up tension and whipping itself through the air as if it had character to it.

Video: 

Technical Notes: 

We use a Pololu DRV8833 dual motor driver to control two DC motors. The tapeworm consists of a length of laser cut conductive rubber whose resistance varies with tangling. A simple voltage divider circuit with a 10 kΩ resistor senses the changing resistance of the rubber. A custom slip ring connects the tapeworm to the circuit. An Arduino Teensy 2.0 microcontroller manages the logic of system – it senses tangling, and either continues twisting in the same direction, or reverses the direction of twisting. The microcontroller is powered by a computer via USB, and the motor driver receives power directly from the AC adapter.  The two motors are secured to laser cut pieces, custom fit to a railing on the ceiling that provides a track for the motor cars. Weights hang at the end of the cars, and pull them apart during untangling.

Roles: Jeffrey Houng and Miles Peyton as Scribes, Designers, Integrators, and Tutors towards each other.

Introduction:

In this age of robots becoming smarter and smarter and where they are starting to emulate living/natural behavior, we wanted to create an autonomous robot that had an organic  and natural movement to it. Through this study, we found a timing belt that when twisted curls up and tightens/moves together in a gross, almost uncanny tapeworm-like way. When the motors turn on, there is an ear wrenching sound that accompanies the disgusting twist and movement of the stiff belt which wraps around itself and and forms random patterns autonomously. When the two ends get so tangled that they pull each other together, they reverse the direction and unwind the chaos created previously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxotbzjmEjc

Technical Notes:

We use a Pololu DRV8833 dual motor drive to control two DC motors, and a HC SR04 distance sensor to detect the distance between the two ends of the Tapeworm. The sensor faces a laser cut plate.

Our circuit is powered by an AC adapter plugged into a wall outlet. We use a 5V step-down component to convert the 11V from the adapter to 5V to power the Arduino. The motors are powered by 11V, directly from the adapter.

The Tapeworm is programmed to twist itself until it reaches a minimum distance, at which point it reverses direction until it reaches a maximum distance, causing it to reverse once again.

The actual construction is created out of laser cut pieces which are custom fit to the railing that was available in the room. The railing provided a track for which the motor cars could pull towards each other. at the ends of both, were two weights that pulled them apart when unwinding.

CODE: https://gist.github.com/anonymous/53185d2b3a5478e04184

Roles: Jesse Klein as Integrator, Designer, and Tutor; Jeffrey Houng as Designer and Scribe; Brian Yang as Integrator, Designer, and Tutor; Bryan Gardiner as Tutor and Scribe

Introduction:

During a dream state, you often encountered things that are totally absurd and random and you wake up and think to yourself, “What in the world was that?” Most of the time those things are not of the world that we know in our everyday lives, so they seem weird to us. Through this project, we wanted to capture this confusing feeling and the questions that arise. Through a combination of spinning spokes and assorted objects and colors, this project is able to create sound that is both melodic and chaotic. The imagery is iconically dreamlike due to the bright bold colors and the out of place but everyday combination of objects. Bike wheels are something that we all see every day, but only in dreams would one be used in this way.

Technical Notes:

There are two main functions of the arduino. The tempo of the sound controls the speed of the motor by increasing a pwm wave that turns on a transistor to power the motor. The tonality determines which of the three objects is pressing into the wheel (a total of 8 combinations including all off). This is controlled by altering the position of a servo to place the object in at an angle that will make a sound but not impede the wheel too much.

 Introduction

The phones in our pockets, purses, hands, and on our bedside tables make us reachable and accountable 24/7. There are few moments as insignificant and as terrifying as 1% battery, and few habits are more ingrained as charging your mobile phone every night to wake up and check it in the morning. We love our friends and our families and we love knowing what’s happening around us whether we find out by hashtag or headline. However, when we’re with our family and friends the draw to check our phones can be distracting and overwhelming. The modern dinner ritual is often to sit down at a meal, pull out your phone for a moment, and return it to your pocket or simply put it on the table – scanning your peripheral vision constantly for a blinking light or illuminated screen.

The draw of the contemporary phone is the potential to reach other people at optional levels of aggressiveness: we can call, text, message on Facebook, send a Snapchat, and more. In turn, we also feel obligated and responsible for checking our phones and replying. How many times have you apologized for responding “late” to a text or call in the past week or month?

Mobile phones are obviously fantastic for getting in touch with people remotely, as that’s what they’re built for, but so often our generation’s beloved avatars spoil the face to face conversation and engagement we scheduled time for anyways. Even if the company is great, we use our phones to check facts during conversation to prove points, to text someone back who couldn’t make it to dinner, and maybe check someone’s Instagram to discuss their vacation. Sometimes we feel so obligated to respond to both the people pinging us and the people sitting across from us that it can be heart wrenching. We’re trying to be in two places at once sometimes, but when we want an occasional break to the information and “commitmental onslaught” that our phones represent it’s hard to find.

Sometimes, we want to have a conversation with someone that isn’t about reading facts off of Wikipedia, or checking to see what time movies are playing on a theater’s mobile site. Sometimes we just want to talk to the person across from us about them, rather than hear about the person they were texting or be so distracted from your own phone you miss out on what the person is saying. We also want to know that they’re engaged with us whether we’re talking or listening, and here’s where the Conversation Table comes into play. It’s a conceptual approach for how the environment can respond to your decisions with polite commentary: when you use your phone in the set conversation time, it causes the other person’s end of the table to wobble, and vice versa. It’s about accountability and connection.

Meet the conceptual conversation table, or “Wobbl.”

Video

Technical Notes

Conversation Table uses analog infrared distance sensors that recognize if a phone is or is not in the slot. This then triggers either side of the table to get wobbly, via two medium sized continuous rotation servos which drive a bolt into a nut inside of a stationary leg, thus creating a makeshift linear actuator. The table itself is constructed out of 1/4″ plywood which was laser cut and hand stained.

Photos