Making Toys

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  Jun Sik (Jason) Kim 6:47 pm on September 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Maker Faire Experience 

  

  

  

  

  The product that got me most excited inside the Arduino tent was a product entitled “Keyglove“ by Jeff Rowberg. This is because during my industrial design studying days, I remembered a concept mobile phone that used fingers to represent keys. What intrigued me the most was the possibility of Keyglove’s further development. Although people are used to QWERTY-based keyboards, it doesn’t necessarily mean it HAS to be the most comfortable. Because the wearable computing market is becoming very popular I believe the Keyglove will impact the world of gaming, design, art, music, etc. I’d love to see a further developed Keyglove where if I made a certain shape with my hand while putting on Keyglove, a 3D CAD software would automatically create the shape I’m making with my hands.

  

  

  As I entered the indoor section of the Maker Faire, the work that first caught my eyes was the “Lumarca” designed by Matt Parker. Using a projection, Lumarca used a volumetric display to show viewers a three dimensional image in motion. When I first looked at it in the dark, I initially thought that it involved high technology. But once I asked the artist on the mechanism of Lumarca, I realized it was just a calculated projection in motion towards strings attached to boards. When I researched for Lumarca on the internet, I also realized the creators incorporated Kinect into Lumarca. They created a 3d projection portraying the exact movement of somebody moving infront of the Kinect. What’s so interesting is that the Lumarca need not require a 3d glass in order for people to see 3d.

  

  

  Because I have an industrial design background, every time I passed by a 3d printer, I just wanted to buy it. Just last year, I had paid $2000 to create a fine mockup of one of my product designs in Korea. Seeing that a 3d printer now only costs about $1600 shocks me. There were 3D printers that worked by addition while there were 3D printers that worked by subtraction. Because I’ve already seen many printers that work by subtracting from the raw material, I was more interested on those printers that worked by addition. An example would be the “Ultimaker: the fast, affordable, large build volume, open source 3D printing” made by the Ultimaker. Just like its name, it was indeed a fast, affordable, open source 3d printer. It would accept almost any type of CAD file and would print in such detail that I couldn’t believe it. It created what seemed to me like a billion layers of shape in order to achieve the detail of the final product. It was very fun to see.

  I really enjoyed the Maker Faire!

   

   

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  noadol 4:39 am on September 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  maker fair 

  1/ The Anywhere Organ
  by Matthew Bo Bogatti

  The idea is to have a mobile pipe organ, that can change in size and layout, according to the space.

  

  

  The interface is a simple MIDI, fronting a bunch of organs (group of pipes). Each of the octaves operate a different organ. You have stickers on the keyboard indicating that, so the interface is effective and communicates what there is to do, no frustration.

  The computer generates MIDI signals. The organ has a microchip (boot loaded AVR chip) that converts MIDI to serial. The AVR communicates with transistors: takes the low power signals from the MIDI and the transistors turn it to a hight power signals that control all the valve that open the air. Pressing a key, the pipe has a magnet that opens up the valve and let the air come up from the blower, and produce a sound.

  I find the objects’ design beautiful; half “traditional” half modern machine and an interesting materials mix: old original metal pipes, wood shaped made by laser cutter, plastic tubes.

  // The organ can play without the computer //

  2/ The Simple CV
  by Katherin Scott, Anthpny Oliver, Nathan Oostendorp

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Three colored cubes that are benign used as painting tools/brushes for painting on the TV screen.
  The TV has a webcam above it and the technology that is being used is best described in the simplecv.org website:
  “SimpleCV is a Python interface to several powerful open source computer vision libraries in a single convenient package.”
  For this project they also used Kinect.

  I like this project for its simple interface and because of the fact that these low-tech wooden cubes activate a digital reaction, adding an element of surprise.

   

  3/ Wheelchair DJ System
  by John Schimmel

  The project was tailor-made for a disabled 18 years old boy. Instead of using hands to scratch on turntables, you can use the wheels  and by moving them back and forth, manipulate two mp3s. In front of the wheelchair there’s the computer screen with and interface that resemble the DJ set. The connection between the action and the reaction is pretty clear.

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  The wheelchair sits on rollers that detects the speed and direction of each wheel. The software and the simple interface design is in Processing. Underneath all that is the Arduino circuit (in the red box), that is connected to the rollers.

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  Catalina 3:48 am on September 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  A Sunday at the Makers Faire by Catalina 

  The following are my 3 favorite projects:

  A week ago I found on the street this amazing typewriter and took it home just because I couldn’t let it out there, it even had it’s own box! And what a great surprise when I get down into the SCI hall and found this USB typewriter. It’s developed with Arduino (Atmega328P) and a sensor board to capture the keyboard; once you connect it, via USB to your computer, you have a great new keyboard.

  If you want to learn more about it, visit the site: http://www.usbtypewriter.com/

  

  

  Sonic Threads by Rita Shewbridge.

  I found this to be a really interesting and fun approach to fashion & technology. The dress is made using conductive threads and uses Arduino. The idea is that you touch the dress and tells you a story, reconnecting this “new world” with the old way of interaction within people, storytelling.

  If you want to learn more about it, visit the site: http://www.fashioningtech.com/video/sonic-threads

  

  

  Rhythm Synthesis

  This project was the Thesis project of a Parson’s student Ryan Raffa. It’s an amazing project, that allow people to interact, to create music and to have fun. It’s a light-box that make sound using colors, shapes and sound. The user moves the color figures and it generates different sounds composition.

  If you want to learn more about it, visit the site: http://www.ryanraffa.com/parsons/blog/

  

  I have to mention that I also loved the Jewelry designed by Natalia Krasnodebska using autocad and printed in a 3-d printer – Really pretty…..

  Check it out at http://www.bynatalia.com

  

  

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