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  • lizastark 9:05 pm on May 16, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    Final Project || Caitlin + Liza 

    Glowing Hoop
    Playfulness reminders for adults #1

    Caitlin Morris ++ Liza Stark

    Glowing Hoop is the first part of a series of objects designed to remind adults to be playful.

    The primary user audience are adults who are perpetually enmeshed in their professional or academic lives. Hopelessly addicted to the screen and seriousness of accomplishing a particular goal, these adults have forgotten the virtues of spontaneity and the merits of play. These objects seek to remind them of the importance of physical movement, mental breaks, and chance behavior to reinvigorate themselves and their process. Too often we become slaves to our practice: this is an attempt to break free of the entropy and shed our robot skins.

    The hoop rests in a holder which is controlled by Arduino to rotate like a clock hand. After prolonged inactivity, the hand rotates, dropping the hoop to the ground and sparking action. An Arduino Mini on the hoop communicates with the holder via XBee, causing the hoop to start glowing different colors when the hoop falls off. An accelerometer in the hoop tells the holder when the hoop is spun, indicating a period of playful activity. The holder then returns to its original position and the lights go back to a solid color. The counter for inactivity is reset, restarting the cycle.

    Iterations ++ Prior Art

    Future Directions

    In future iterations, we will focus on different types of LED behaviors, smaller hardware, and different patterns on the hula hoop itself. We would also like to explore spaces for potential installation and usage more in depth.

     

  • lizastark 7:47 pm on March 27, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    Final Project Concepts || Caitlin+Liza 

    Descriptions coming soon!

     

  • lizastark 3:13 am on February 27, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    animateObject Prototype: Stress Box 

    This is a series of LED boxes controlled by keyboard inputs via Arduino. First it wakes up, still a bit tired, but quickly decides to talk to you. But then it begins to become anxious while speaking, and its generally calm fade enter a frenetic spiral of light. Exhausted and fragmented from this bout of stress, it becomes tired again, eventually going back to sleep.

    Rearrange its face as you see fit for an expression of anxiety!

    Also (and just for fun), while I did miss the last class, I was making a littleBits toy during the same time for a workshop. I LOVE electrical tape.

     

  • lizastark 11:32 pm on January 31, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    Liza Stark 

    BACKGROUND: My way back background is in history and Russian Studies, but following undergrad I worked for an international ed nonprofit running in and afterschool programs for k-12 students in a bunch of schools all over NYC. I became really interested in using games for learning which is why I came to MFADT, then found soft circuits and physical computing which subsequently turned into an obsession. Currently I am running a few afterschool programs with elementary, middle, and high school students focused on soft circuits, everyday objects, and physical computing. For my thesis I am developed a toolkit using alternative/softer materials for students to explore electrical and basic computational concepts. Essentially paper boxes that talk to each other.

    CLASS?: I am in this class to learn more about wireless communication and make fun things.

    FAV TOY: Legos

     

  • lizastark 11:24 pm on January 31, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    gallery 

     

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