Class 8: 10 Feb
Going forward, verify that your camera is not set to “HD” in Zoom. I disabled this tonight and things went much better than expected.
Correction for previous lecture! You do use Serial.print() and Serial.write() to send info to p5.js. When you’re doing this, you can’t use Serial methods for “printf debugging”.
Types of Input
Using sound / music as an example:
- monophonic: wind instruments, voice. Easy to detect pitch/volume.
polyphonic: keyboards, pianos, organs, stringed instruments. Hard to detect pitch/volume of a single note, but easy to detect volume of a collection of instruments.
Anthropomorphic inputs
respond to human state/condition: blood pressure, galvanic skin response, breath rate, pulse rate.
Visual interpretation of secondary movements: eye twitch, touching your face, blinking
Tracking “rapid eye movement” when eyes are closed, like REM when you’re asleep is used in PTSD therapy EMDR. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_movement_desensitization_and_reprocessing. This is a recently developed form of therapy and treatment for PTSD and requires trained human therapists.
Alternatively, you can make art out it: http://www.flong.com/archive/projects/optoisolator/index.html
SparkFun’s biometric sensors: https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/146
More kinetic output
There is a lot of work in this area to provide accessibility for people with limited vision or blind people. Please watch all of these, we didn’t have time to show them all in class.
- tactile maps for the blind
- presentation of research data on tactile map comparison
- tactile graphics using “swell paper”
- 3d printing reference objects for the blind — what does a snowflake look like? A butterfly? A sailboat?
Accessibility and HCI
In 1968, Doug Englebart demonstrated the first “workstation”. It’s a long watch but I think at least the first half will give you a lot of ideas on how to pitch a novel technological concept. The important bit about accessibility starts about 30 minutes in when they show the interface. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY
Using this workstation requires sight, hearing, and functioning hands/fingers/feet.
Accessibility vs. Inclusion
What makes something accessible? Is Universal Design also accessibility?
Inclusion ==> inviting, making someone want to participate. How do you invite someone to provide input / direction?
Are 30mm arcade buttons are accessible? Interrupt or constant? Convex or concave? If you want to use Universal Design, how do you decide how big the button should be and where it’s located?
There’s a wide variety of arcade push buttons. Are controls like buttons the wrong answer? Is a better way to collect input?
Physical interaction with temperature
There are some serious things to consider when working with temperature. Basically, “what happens if this breaks, has bugs, or completely fails?” Can someone be injured?
Maybe you need temperature control in your project? Adam Savage made 2001:Space Odyssey suits for Comic-Con that required a costume cooling vest. He actually made two, the other was for Astronaut Chris Hadfield(!) who provides good feedback. This is another one to watch all the way through, there’s a lot of design/fabrication skills shown off.
There’s also a commercial alternative for performers.
Coaching vs. grading
Think about coaching, providing good feedback and encouragement to take a positive action.
Example: sports trainer that monitors your HR, BP, breathing rate, and hydration and knows your training course. It encourages you to do better instead of punishing you for not doing enough.
Example: music “coach” that helps you learn to perform music. Watches your body and helps you correct form/posture. Reminds you that you are always performing, even when you’re just practicing a scale or an etude.
Alice Miller’s “For Your Own Good“, a criticism arguing that we replace the pedagogy of punishment with support for learning, using the German pedagogy that gave rise to support of fascism as one study
Assignment 5 has requirements in its own post.