Creators: Alessandra Angelucci, Aris Dotti, and Rebecca Guzzo, who are pursuing Masters of Advanced Studies in Interaction Design SUPSI

Short Description: This machine registers sounds made from wood, metal plates, and sponges that cover the central box and translates them into words, essentially generating onomatopoeia live. It also spits out “futurism poems” every once in a while for fun. It reads data from various piezoelectric sensors to determine the words outputted.

Response: I think it’s probably not very practical, but it’s a super fun project that uses sensors in a way that’s really unique. It seems very complicated to create but is actually pretty simple to understand.

If I were to change it in any way, I would probably have the words appear on an LCD screen instead, just to make it more sustainable than just constantly spitting out rolls of paper.

Read more at: https://blog.arduino.cc/2016/02/17/macchina-poetica/#more-13106

Project Title: Extremely Sensitive Cheap Homemade Seismometer

Project Creator: mircemk

The Homemade Seismometer

Short Description: This project is a small seismometer, which tracks vibrations in the earth and electronically graphs the data.  Vibrations in a needle are converted to electronic signals and used as an analog input for an Arduino.  The goal of this device is to measure earthquakes.  This setup was able to successfully detect a 5.2 level earthquake from over 200km away.

Response:  I think the project is a great example of how an Arduino can be effectively used to collect data from sensors.  I like how simple and cheap, yet effective the design is.  However, the maker states that he needs to contain the seismometer, because the needle is very sensitive.   I think this should be included in the physical design, instead of requiring a special placement for the product.

 created by

Short description

1. Creator’s vision:
   1. WHAT?   Development of an affordable and efficient method to help visually impaired people navigate in space and prevent them from being lost.
   2. HOW?   By wearing a technological artefact that indicates walking paths and detects obstacles on them. The information is translated into haptic outputs (vibrations).
   3. WHY?   To replace already existing methods (white cane, dogs) that are expensive, difficult to handle, non-fashionable and lead to head injuries and non-obtrusive ways of navigation.
2. Steps:
   • Conducting research based on real people’s experiences
   • First hand experimentation
   • Design of the computational loop
   • Fabrication of the device
3. Innovation:
   • Two basic functions at the same time: (i) obstacle detection and (ii) navigation assistance
   • ultrasonic waves for the detection of spatial obstacles
   • GPS activation through voice command
   • All visual information is encoded into haptic feedback
   • Wearable, easy to carry
   • Fashionable accessorizes (neckless, glove)
4. Details:

Neckless

Arduino mini

Ultrasonic sensor (2 meters range)

Vibrating motor at the nap of the neck (high sensitivity)

Glove

GPS with button (sends current location via WIFI)

Triple-axis Accelerometer + Magnetometer (Compass) Board

Vibrating motorOn a press of a button, GPS sends the user’s current location to Google Maps Directions API with the current and destination coordinates. This returns an array of steps to get to the destination. The software code calculates the direction vector in the form of an angle varying from 0 to 360 degrees. Finally, the user swings the arm, if it is within the range of the correct direction (+/- 15 degrees), it delivers haptic feedback to the user indicating he/she is pointing towards the correct direction.

5. Contributions:
   1. Accessorizes with integrated technologies for visual impairment
   2. Easier navigation
   3. An experiential example of sensory substitution and intermodal transfer of information
   4. Low-cost/affordable

https://youtu.be/KK4kdUO4hAU

My thoughts:

1. Good points:
   1. Interviewing and hands-on experimentation
   2. The placement of a sensor on a higher body level like the neck.
   3. The customized GPS system and the idea that a visual path can be decoded in haptic feedback
   4. The devices’ integration into accessories.

2. Possible Improvements:
   • Multiple accessorizes with integrated sensors
   • The arm’s swing in the air would be exhausting and impractical for the user. According to my experience, visually impaired people don’t want to expose themselves with superfluous movements that emphasize their sensory impairment. Personally speaking, I would use body’s four limbs to transform the whole body into a remote control ((1) right arm àturn right, 2) right leg àgo ahead, 3) left leg àgo back, 4) left arm àturn left, 5) combinations among them). I would apply integrated accessorizes on the four limbs and according to the distribution of haptic feedback on them, the user would develop an inner ability to orient himself/herself in space.

Project Creator: Artistikk

Short description: The ISS globe is a lamp that blinks for 30 seconds when the International Space Station flies overhead. When the ISS isn’t flying by, the lamp can be set to turn off or remain glowing. The creator’s name is Arpan, and they are an aerospace engineering student.

Response: I love astronomy, so I think this lamp would be both a nice decoration and a good notification system for when the ISS is flying overhead.

If I were to make any additions, I would have the lamp start blinking a few minutes before the ISS was supposed to fly overhead, so I would have time to get outside and observe it.

created by

Short description

1. Creator’s Vision:
   1. WHAT?  Development of an affordable and more efficient method to help visually impaired people navigate in space with greater speed and confidence.
   2. HOW?  By wearing a technological artefact that detects nearby visual inputs (obstacles) and translates them into haptic and auditory outputs (vibrations & sound).
   3. WHY?  Already existing methods (white cane, dog, smart devices) for visually impaired bodies are either expensive and difficulty to carry with or difficult to be learned and practiced.

2. Innovation:

• •           ultrasonic waves for the detection of spatial obstacles
  • visual information is encoded and further elaborated by another sense or senses (touch proprioception & audition)
  • wearable, easy to carry

3. Details: There are five modules across the whole body, all of which are equipped with ultrasonic sensors. Two on the shoulders, two on the knees and one on the hand. Using them one’s can detect the existence of physical materials in a five dimensional view. The distance between the user and the object determines the intensity of the vibration and the rate of sound beeps. The smaller the distance, the more intense the outputs.

                      Arduino pro mini

                      ultrasonic sensors that send and receive waives

                      vibrating motors

                      buzzers

4. Contributions:
   • Wearable technology for visual impairment
   • An experiential example of sensory substitution and intermodal transfer of information
   • Low-cost/affordable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3j2ZW9T8CI#action=share

 Sharing my thoughts:

1. Good points:
   1. The multiple modules make an excellent point as our body’s bones operate like vectors and different body parts may be aligned within different directions.
   2. Vision and touch constitute spatial modalities of perception. That makes it successful to elaborate a visual input through a haptic output

2. What I would do differently:

• • Add an extra sensor module on the head or the neck
  • Integrate a GPS module
  • Add a sensor that ‘recognizes’ different materials from a distance and uses sound outputs for their perception. 

Finished Chess Board https://cdn.instructables.com/FUE/X90A/JZD6SU28/FUEX90AJZD6SU28.LARGE.jpg?auto=webp&frame=1&width=933&height=1024&fit=bounds

The Schematics for the Chess Board https://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FY6/V1OE/JZD6QX7R/FY6V1OEJZD6QX7R.LARGE.jpg

I really like this project because you can play it by yourself which really helps people like me who have no friends. I think that this is an example of a good Arduino project because it turns something that already existed without electronics into something better. I would change this project by adding a feature in which the Arduino recommends your move in order to better teach you how to play chess.

I really like this project. Its a great example of putting together a lot of real-time microcontroller programming skills. Although it seems simple, the math of continuously tracking and correcting the orientation of a platform like that can actually get pretty complicated. It could be improved with even greater accuracy by including a second IMU on the platform itself so there is actually a physical observer ensuring the feedback. This project has a ton of really of interesting and helpful applications like movie-making and helping those with hand tremors.

true love tinder robot gif

This project realistically solved the pressing need of the millennials. Finding true love is not easy. You need to actively engage with the robot by placing both hands on the sensors. Then the robot will do its job of selecting a perfect partner for you on Tinder with a physical plastic hand swiping on a phone screen. It calmly talks to you while it makes decisions.

Literally put your love life in a robot’s hands.

One can view this as a parody of the machine age. One, who’s extremely lazy, can view it as a practical tool. I find the idea of placing both hands on the sensors and watching a plastic hand swiping for you an interesting and meditative experience. I like how the robot talks back to you, takes pauses, as it is giving time for you to make up your mind. Waving the plastic hand around is a nice touch. I don’t really know how I would improve this. Maybe an auto selection mode where I don’t need to place my hands on the sensor?

Project Creator: Kimba 516

Short Description: This project is essentially a 3D lit-up Tic-Tac-Toe board. The creator glued together skewers, soldered on LEDS, and programmed an Arduino (they used UNO, which they connected to a breadboard) to allow the players to select which spot they wanted to mark with a lit-up LED. On the Arduino, the creators implemented six buttons (1 for each direction) and the selection button (to finalize the player’s move). When a player wins, the game lights up in a bunch of colors (pictured above).

The Board, Arduino, and Breadboard

Response: Making the game controlled through the Arduino prevented players from changing their minds after they had already finalized their move, so I thought it was pretty cool to see a 3D version of Tic-Tac-Toe that was programmed. However, if I were to change this project, I would change the game concept to Connect Four. It’s always a hassle to remove the checker pieces from the board after a game, but a 3D4x Connect Four project would allow players to just press reset on the Arduino in order to play again. It would also be pretty neat to have the players be able to select which color they wanted to be for that round.