Making Toys

Updates from March, 2013 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

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  Soo 8:26 pm on March 9, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Control it will an Arduino Mini, Servo, Ultrasonic Rangefinder, and Battery Power 

  My third paper automata assignment was “Weight of Bureaucracy” from book, Models that Move. I was super fun automata, but it took more than 6 hours to actual making the paper automata. The challenge part was the servo has to turn only one way, otherwise the paper automata is broke. So, I had to carefully observe ultrasonic rangefinder values and calculate servo position for  the value in code. Using an Arduino Mini and an battery power were simple and easy.

  Please watch video at vimeo: https://vimeo.com/61422425

  

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  Soo 7:50 pm on March 9, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Controlling your servo with via computer 

  The first paper craft project assignment about controlling your servo with via computer. The goat head turns to left and right  and speed changes according to the scaled value in code.

  Please watch video at vimeo: https://vimeo.com/61422286

   

  

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  carlamarinvial 9:19 pm on March 7, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Free Writing

  Doing this Paper Automata was a challenge for me, especially when it came to paper cutting. Due to the small scale of the pieces, cutting and glueing on exact points becomes super difficult. I also believe I failed at attempting to hide the Arduino in a proper manner. When I started the project I jumped into building the paper part, but looking back, what I should have done from the beginning was planning how I would get the motor in it first.
  I was surprised when putting the mechanical part together, it all smoothly worked out. At a glance, it seemed to be a rather complicated toy, but the simplicity of its mechanics was a comforting surprise in terms of how simply, interesting movements can be created.
  The whole time whilst working with it I was thinking on the game Mecano and how it would be great to create structures of more solid materials to work with the arduino and sensor. I was imagining a catapult being built with this system out of mecanos… that would be awesome!

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  danielagill 8:08 pm on March 4, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Daniela Gill / Bio 

  I am originally from Caracas, Venezuela. I got my B.F.A. Degree in Communication Design from Parsons. I worked for a few years at a marketing agency and later on I moved on to the world of design studios. Most recently, I have been working at a brand and design consultancy specializing in strategic design communications.

  I decided to take this class 1. because I love toys! and 2. because I feel that it will be very helpful for the production of my thesis. I am collaborating with Youmna and we are making an interactive installation, one that will feature a series of fictional stories that will critically comment on the everyday life in a cubicle office space.

  The installation consists of a cubicle workspace where users interact with the main character’s, Lola, everyday office objects. These unexpected elements gather evidence about Lola’s life within her cubicle. They represent her identity, personality, frustrations and role within the workplace.

  I feel that everything I learned so far and will continue to learn in this class we can apply into the technical production of our objects. We have been using physical computing in order for them to provide the necessary interactions we want for them to offer in order to communicate our ideas. And I am looking forward on expanding my knowledge and learning new tools in regards to this.

  I would say that my favorite thing to play as a child was a gameboy. I enjoy video games very much. As an adult I still like to play although nowadays I seem to enjoy more physical stuff, like for instance  ping pong.

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  ZX 7:45 am on March 2, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Bio 

  What is your academic and professional background?
  Journalism. I’m good at making music video 😀

  What motivated you to take this class?
  Physical computing has been my major crush since I came to DT. I took Soft Circuits last semester. This semester I’m taking Physical Computing 1, Wireless Toys and Sensemakers, all to satisfy my physical computing cravings. I was really excited when I knew we were going to do mechanical toys. I’ve been trying to make kinetic sculptures with my limited physical computing skill since the beginning of last semester, mainly around trying to alter a praxinoscope and making huge paper gears to navigate printed out photographs. I used to have a problem about controlling a motor properly. This course has helped me quite a lot. And all the sensors seem fun to me. About the bluetoothed iPhone thing I still couldn’t imagine what it feels like. I’m looking forward to explore. To me what’s fascinating about physical computing is the lifelike mojo it creates, just like GIF!!

  What is your favorite childhood toy?
  A stuffed bear with a button on its belly. He says “I love you” when the button is pressed.

  What is your favorite thing to play with these days?
  A pulse sensor. A praxinoscope. Self-made artsy stuff like this. Reddit.

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  danielagill 11:08 pm on February 28, 2013 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Assignments   

  Penguin Paper Automata 

  Paper penguin automata: controlling Servo motor speed with an Ultrasonic Range finder. Whenever one is less further than 1′ the penguin stops moving. When someone gets closer it starts to flap it’s arms and move up and down.

  Here is my video: https://vimeo.com/60803711

   

      

  

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  danielagill 10:59 pm on February 28, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Dog Paper Automata 

  Dog paper automata with Servo Motor (Continuous)

  Here is my video: https://vimeo.com/60786063

                            

   

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  SLee 10:09 am on February 28, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Cat Paper Automata + Continuous Servo 

  These are the photos of my cat toy attached to a continuous servo.

   

  Below is my code for the continuous servo.

  

  Last but not least, the video is here!

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  ZX 8:07 pm on February 22, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Homework_First Paper Toy 

  

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  itsjennkaye 9:36 pm on December 21, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Table for Two 

  

  Table for Two is an interactive installation that simulates a romantic date. Two users sit at the table and clip pulse sensors to their ear lobes. Each pulse sensor is attached to a piece of “spaghetti,” which winds around an interior motor to the beat of each user’s heart. As it winds, the piece of “spaghetti” becomes shorter and the users are drawn in closer to each other. This makes their hearts beat even faster.

  Dinner for Two from Jennifer Kaye on Vimeo.

  This project was inspired by Lady and the Tramp.

  

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  lizbethc 8:05 pm on December 19, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Pulse Painter: Final Documentation 

  For the final project, I decided to make a little robot that paints to the user’s pulse rate. By attaching themselves to the sensor, they trigger the paint brush to move. Whilte it would have been nice to have a mechanical arm that could dabble more paint on the brush, I think that squeezing paint directly on the paper also really worked. Here are some images:

  

  

  And Finally, a little video:

   

  Pulse Painter from Elizabeth Clare on Vimeo.

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  itsjennkaye 8:34 pm on December 7, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Love Machine: Prototype 

  The inspiration for my project is the movie Lady and the Tramp–specifically the part where the two dogs are eating the same spaghetti noodle.

  

  I would like to re-create this moment with two pulse sensors and two servo motors. The motors will wind fake “spaghetti” at the rate of each user’s heartbeat. As the spools turn, it will draw the users closer and closer together.

  I make a prototype of this with one pulse sensor while I wait for my second one to arrive in the mail. Currently, it draws my face into the plate of “spaghetti.” Pretty absurd.

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  lizbethc 5:15 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Big Ideas: Pulse Sensor 

  Here are my big ideas:

  1. Flip Book

  

   

  2. Film Reel:

  

   

  3. Nervous Utensil

  

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  salome 5:01 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Concept and Ideation 

  

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  tiamtaheri 4:20 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  [idea] 

  For the Pulse Sensor Project I want to use the values that I get to change the frequency of sound (for example a sine sound)
  I didn’t make a sketch, because this is mostly an audio project.

  The past couple of weeks I was thinking about this project, so this is the idea I want to work on.

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  carolkozak 4:19 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Pulse Sensor 

  

  

  

  
  

  Idea One which is the traffic light is a tool for the gym.  It has clearly been too long since I have driven and I accidentally drew the stop light at the bottom.  Green means go faster to get to your target heart rate, yellow means keep doing what you are doing and red means slow down you are going too fast.  There are particular zones listed on gym equipment – going faster builds endurance and not as fast burns fat, etc.

  Idea Two would be more for kids, maybe in a science museum.  The found heart rate aligns with an animal.  Slower heart rates show slower moving animals and faster heart rates show faster moving animals.

  Idea Three is a tool for taking your pulse.  You press a button to start and then see your heart rate flashing.  After 15 seconds passes the first light illuminates, then 30 seconds lights the 2nd, 45 seconds the third, and 60 seconds the fourth.  This is a quick and easy way to check your pulse.  I imagine that the seconds lights would look like lotto ping pong balls.

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  itsjennkaye 4:01 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Pulse Sensor Project Ideas 

  

  1. Heart beat triggers a micro vibration motor inside of a stuffed frog and causes the frog to jump.
  2. Heart beat triggers a fan. Each time the fan blows a little, it inflates something a little more.
  3. “The Love Machine”– Heart beat triggers a motor that winds two separate pieces of string together. Each string is clipped to the clothing of a person. As the motor winds the string, it draws the two people closer together.

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  trytobegood 3:54 am on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Final project brainstorming 

  

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