Making Toys

Updates from April, 2009 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Yury Gitman 2:45 pm on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Theremin-Like Project – Kirsten 

  For this homework assignment, I played around with buttons, speakers, and sensors. I tried using the Max-Sonar sensor but I feel that I get more accurate results from the IR sensor. I have three buttons that each play a specific melody to their own speaker. The IR sensor detects the distance of the user and adjusts the speed of the melody accordingly. If the user is very close to the sensor, the melody is played very slowly. If there is nothing in front of the sensor, the melody is runs through rapidly.

  

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  One of my ideas is to create a music box. I would place the board at the bottom of the box and run wires up to the speaker and sensor near the "ballerina." Depending on how close the user is to the sensor, the box will play different tunes.

  

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  Another idea is to create a mini toy modeled after an "Ugly Doll." This toy would have a sensor in it's eye and play creepy tunes (like the Theremin) out of it's mouth. The sensor will detect the user's distance and adjust the speed of the music accordingly. The closer the user is to the toy, the slower (and more scary) the monster's sound will be.

  

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  My third idea is to create a book that shows the parts of a "mini robot." The robot's head will be the IR sensor, the body will be the speaker, the hands will be buttons that will play two different tunes, and the arms/legs will be ribbon or drawn on the book for decoration. The sensor will control the speed of the tunes – the closer you are to the robot the louder he'll be.

  

  :: CODE ::

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  Yury Gitman 2:40 pm on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  a stab at a theremin 

  

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  Yury Gitman 1:53 pm on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Ira / Don’t Touch My Bread! 

  My project is a playful ready made experiment.

  I want to create a food Theremin. Different melodies and sounds
  will be activated by IR, Ultra and photo sensors in different foods.

  This is the first prototype, demonstrates the basic idea of the project.

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3988233&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
  Don’t touch my bread! from Ira Goldberg on Vimeo.

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  Yury Gitman 11:53 am on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Myriam-Theremin like project 

  IMPLEMENTATION

  For this project, I started building different codes (videos soon online).

  The first one, the scale controlled by the ultrasonic sensor is not precise enough. I need to figure out a way to change the average depending on time, so that it can be read every second for example.

  I then created 2 musics. One of them is the intro of "the man who sold the world" by David Bowie. 

  But I am not going to use a melody for my final project because I think the sound is annoying.

  And I prefer people to play around freely with my instrument.

  In the end, I made a code where the tone of the music changes with the sensor, and I really liked the sound of it. 

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3990072&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
  Test-tones from maryam aboukhater on Vimeo.

  LOOK + FEEL

  1.

  For the aspect of my project, I had three different ideas:

  One is playing with boxes and controlling rythm and notes with opening and closing them. I like the idea that the "clap" sound of the box closing can be part of the music as well.

  
  

  2.

  The second one is a intrument made of tubes, reminding an orgue or a flute, and that has a holy spirit to it. It can illustrate the magic of playing music with your hand in the air.

  

  3.

  The third one, and the one I want to make, is an "inside out" theremin. The idea is revealing the hidden mecanism of the original theremin, using light bulbs as a symbol.

  While you pass your hand over it, the light plays music and fades with it.

  It is a nice way to visualize the music you're playing as well.

  
  

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  Yury Gitman 4:44 am on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Drum Machine + Melodizer + Sound Spatialization 

  so, i realize that using these 8ohm speakers and an arduino, will not be yielding any types of award winning sound.  however, i am quite passionate about sound in general, so i want to focus on an aspect that is often overlooked: spatialization.

  i have devised to different ways to approach surrounding one's head with speakers.  the first is, of course, a hat.  here are some sketches i drew up.

  
    
  the hat is nice because it is wearable. you don't need hands, you can walk around all day long enjoying some sweet sounds. oh, and of course there will be LEDs involved, you just don't see any there.

  Here is my other idea.
  

  i really don't know which one i should do. so please, if you think one is effing dumb, then tell me. or if you think one is definitely better than the other, please say something. otherwise i will spend my weekend making both. and that would suck.

  anyway, the technology/implementation of both is the same, so i went ahead and prototyped that. I found a guy who i will post about later, who has developed a system for making rhythmic sounds. pretty sweet, i had to adapt it for this application, but here's one PHATTIE beat.

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3983412&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

  IR range control of lo-fi Arduino drum machine from j saavedra on Vimeo.

  and here is a beat with a harmonized melody playing along.

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3984956&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
  IR controlled drum machine + melody from j saavedra on Vimeo.

   —
  you'll notice what is being affected, currently is the speed of the track being played. i also want to affect the spatialization (having instruments move around from speaker to speaker, around the participant's head). also, volume would be interesting, having instruments fade in and out altogether based on how close you are to objects/walls in front of you or behind you.  just some ideas, we'll see what actually ends up materializing (probably none of it).

  current version of code is HERE

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  Yury Gitman 3:12 am on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Theremin IR Sensor Try 

  So. I have started the code for the theremin and it seems to be coming out ok. I am controlling the note that is being played via distance. But, the data is non-linear. poop. Ohwevs, when I hook up another sensor, my readings are all over the place. That one is to control volume, so basically it does not work. in the video, it only has the one sensor controlling the tones.

  Here is a prototype of the look and feel. To be constructed out of wood.

  

  http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3984243&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ff9933&fullscreen=1
  Sound Control with IR Sensor and a dweens from Nick Hardeman on Vimeo.

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  Surveillance Solutions is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Surveillance Solutions 6:21 am on March 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    I’ve being researching about IR Devices and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful 🙂 . I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading.

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  Yury Gitman 5:36 pm on April 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply  

  Sonic Range Fail 

  I can not get anything close to accurate out of the sonic range finder using the analog read pin. Does anyone have any tips. This is the values that I got with nothing over it, besides the ceiling, and it is extremely noisy when it should be accurate. The values range from 79 – 21 and everything in between.
  On the other hand, the IR sensor is pretty accurate.

  

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  Nick Hardeman, bruce, klee, and 1 other are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    joe 8:23 pm on April 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    + 1

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    klee 8:41 pm on April 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    also maybe put a resistor going from the AN pin on the sonic range finder and the analog pin on your arduino board. that helped ours.

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    bruce 11:11 pm on April 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    i have the same issue + the resistor doesn’t help. same problem with the IR sensor.

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    Nick Hardeman 2:57 am on April 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    I can not hook up two IR Sensors at the same time, capacitors only mess it up. What the deely?