1C – Dream Machine – Dream Cycle

Group Members: Jesse Klein, Brian Yang, Brian Gardiner, Jeffrey Houng

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.