20120619 Project Brainstorming

Danny's list of 3

• Laser Harp: http://hacknmod.com/hack/create-techno-with-a-laser-harp/
• Moodlamp: http://www.danielandrade.net/project/open-hardware-moodlamp/ (might use sound to determine color) ** Colors change based on sound coming in, or some sensing in the environment perhaps?
• Rhythm Timed LEDs: http://learning-arduino.tumblr.com/post/2579172342/arduino-led-bar-with-rhythm-detection ** Dynamic interaction with Arduino, visible result

Jan's list of M

Matt's list of X

• Arduino Geek Gardening (milkjug gardening, moisture sensors from nails): http://makeprojects.com/Project/Garduino-Geek-Gardening/62/ - following up on that, http://www.windowfarms.org/ ** low fidelity, tied to something possible in the classroom

Mel's list of N

possible meanings for "craft of electronics"

• craft projects that contain a significant custom electronic design - ex: most of these
• craft projects that contain something powered by electricity (but no digital smarts/brains, and the electrically-powered component may be pre-fab) - ex: foosmill table
• "using electronics as a component in craft projects" (even if we didn't make the electronics ourselves) - ex: decrypt the lights
• "using electronics to make craft projects" (even if the final project isn't electronic) - ex: eggbot
• craft projects that could be wired with electronics for a good next-step extension - ex: communications board

** Poking at the boundary of elec/craft

• eggbot: http://egg-bot.com/ ** We need eggbots.
• decrypt the lights: http://www.gardensandmachines.com/AD61600/2011/12/12/behind-the-scenes-decrypt-the-lights/ and http://www.youtube.com/embed/MpDHd-olvco (deliberately trying to land near the boundary line with this one) ** LEDs on finger tips; purchased rave glove. If you make it, does that make it craft? Began trying to sew own w/ conductive thread, etc. More expedient to spend $10 then spend 20 hours sewing.
• Foosmill Table: http://alepalan.com/portfolio/foosmill-table-work-in-progress/ ** Squeeze trigger on power drills instead of spinning the handles. Uses electricity... is it "craft of electronics?" Can be "dialed up" by adding AI on one side ("play foosball against a robot")
• Electronic Popables: http://hlt.media.mit.edu/?p=5 ** Electronic pop-up book. Conductive inks/paints for traces, handcraft paper cutting, origami, surface mount LEDs, sensors, etc. Uses leaf Lilypad... definitely in the craft space. *** Are we saying it is "definitely craft" because the paper craft is obviously craft?
• Firefly jar: http://www.instructables.com/id/Jar-of-Fireflies/ ** Mason jar with LEDs inside. Chose it because it was a project she did for her cousin's 12th birthday party. Drink the Gatorade, twist wires w/ electrical tape, put things inside Gatorade bottle, and it's good to go. Empowering, easy, can be scaled up (add blinking w/ 555, microcontroller, etc.)
• Email-counting shirt: http://blog.printf.net/articles/2010/03/30/email-counting-tshirt ** LEDs on shirt w/ Lilypad and conductive thread, using binary counter in LEDs.
• lightchimes: http://www.jchua.com/interactive/lightchimes/ ** Quasi-on-the-boundary. Bunch of rods hanging from ceiling, hanging from a box... reed switches/magnets; when they swing, the close, and then the pendants turn on and off. Does not teach sophisticated electronics, but produces visual/impressive show. But... lots of time was spent on the craft of the project. ** [JAN] Questions might come back to Danny... lots of time spent on non-technical parts of the course? Problem? Concern? ** [MEL] Multiple iterations on this project... learned about the manufacturing/making process (robustness, etc.), but very little "learning" re: the simple circuit involved.
• communication system at http://www.hackabilityblog.com/2009/10/interview-with-eva-from-the-deal-with-disability/ (and other things on this blog -- also deliberately trying to land near the boundary line with this one) ** Things people make to make things easier for themselves in terms of disability ([JAN] Note: social relevance). This example was a laser pointer to on hat for pointing to letters. Things to think about: safety, etc. Has human interaction dimensions so you may spend more time going "how do we make electricity safe for humans?" than on doing a complex circuit (similar to lightchimes). (Where do we want the complexity to be?)

Sebastian's list of many

• Runaway Cookie Box: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-runaway-cookie-box/ ** If you try and grab it, it drives away. ** Uses common everyday items
• Light & Water Reactive Raincoat: http://www.instructables.com/id/Light-and-Water-Reactive-Raincoat/ ** Beeps if you start to get wet (warning you) ** Not very complex in terms of code (single boolean)
• Interactive Child's Mobile: http://www.instructables.com/id/Interactive-Childs-Mobile/
• Smallsword Choreography Shirt: http://www.instructables.com/id/Smallsword-Choreography-Shirt/ ** Step up from other projects---it has a coherent story, good documentation. ([MATT] Agreed.) ** More craft; non-trivial construction. ** Clearly a one-off -- many traditional electronics class projects assume the goal is commercial mass-manufacture, but this is going to be labor-intensive no matter how you swing it... different tools/sense-of-making if we go against the grain and towards celebrating small-scale?
• Motion Sensing Curtain: http://www.instructables.com/id/Motion-Sensing-Beaded-Curtain/ ** Lights up if you walk by/through. Modification of a thing you see every day (or, have seen commonly... but amplify/modify experience)
• Jar of Fireflies: www.instructables.com/id/E7U5HYMSVIEWP86SAL/?ALLSTEPS (but but you stole mine mraaaaaaaa!) :P
• Fire Skirt: http://www.instructables.com/id/Fire-Skirt!/ ** Does not use microcontroller. ** High "coolness" to "complexity" ratio -- compare to something like laser harp, which is also super-cool but requires a lot more "work" to get to the point where you have a cool working thing. ** Important also w.r.t. reaching out in terms of traditional gender (and other) boundaries -- go where the people are and do things they're already doing, as opposed to having them come to electronics-land and figure out (on their own) that they could make dance costumes.
• essentially, lots of stuff from here: http://lilypond.media.mit.edu/ (Yeah, the hi-lo-tech group is pretty awesome.) ** Yep.

Critique/comments

Many blinkie-light projects have a curiosity/cool factor, but minimal "practical" elements. (At the same time, the reason blinky-lights are popular: they're robust, cheap, simple, quick, and highly visible.)

Projects like the gardening example is simple, but has obvious practical applications. So, art projects are cool... but, it doesn't cross the "practicality boundary." Danger: "electronics may be cool and accessible for me, but they're sort of useless fluffy things that won't directly impact my food availability, safety, mobility, etc."

"Prototype vs. product." "We could imagine taking this further... BUT WE DIDN'T!"

Why is craft important?

Balance where...

Art is important... provides beauty, inform society, change society. Make statements that words or other forms might not be able to. Designed to do something important.

For Matt, it's about intentionality. Many electronics examples we have here are probably not art. Lack of intentionality/follow-through.

[JAN] Artist's statement on every story that is produced (in storytelling class.) Do we need an artist's statement on everything, for example?