The completed broccoli bot
So my first Physical computing project is finished. Last Wednesday we presented it to the class. As a review , the project proposed was suppose to enhance or change a space. We picked a supermarket and eventually made it to the idea that a talking piece of broccoli would be a nice enhancement for a shopping experience.
Purchased items include
Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle - Toys'R Us - $8
Felt - Canal Street - ~$10
Balloons - Party City - $5
5V Relay - Radio Shack - $3
Candy Corn (container) - CVS - $.99 (switch)
The project was a good experience for the first one, I really appreciated getting feedback from others and their ideas for it. While time constraints made it impossible to adjust this project I will be sure to talk up my ideas earlier on to get to use some people's ideas.
Lamar and I had both pleasant and stressful moments getting this to work. It's good to take breaks, walk away and just not think about certain pieces of the puzzle. And when all else fails ask Todd!
Here's a picture of the completed switch
On the top left is the homemade switch from a candy corn container, two metal threaded rods and a metal ball. The ball uses the two rods as contacts and becomes a rocker bumpin switch. The PIC is able to determine if the switch is open or closed and control the tape recorder from that contact. Here's a closer look.
A closer view of the breadboard is easier to follow so look at this.
On the bottom right of the board you'll see the typical 5V regulator we have been using in class since the beginning. The bottom bus has 5V in it and powers the switch (currently out of the picture) and the PIC. On the top bus is the power for the tape player - at the top left of the board we made an adjustable voltage regulator and this was described earlier - basically the adjusted voltage on the top bus is 3.7 V and this was enough to power the cassette recorder.
Using two 9V batteries we tested the voltages again and then we went to construct the broccoli. First blow up the bop bag. Next cover it in green felt and then balloons. Place board and tape player in the head region.
Enjoy these.
We didn't get permission to test the broccoli in the grocery store and I still think we should have just ran in and took the photos and left but something was in the air those last nights telling me to behave. So we took it out on the streets and had some people touch it.
The basic problems:
Interface - no one has really been standing next to a 33" tall vegetable before and they certainly don't want to break it and or knock it over. People need to know what they can and can't interact with, the broco gave mixed emotions and some people were just avoiding it. certainly no interaction from avoidance....or is there?
Listening - so if a piece of broccoli was going to talk to you would you listen? how is it going to be relevant? do you think you would respond back? Then what? If the broccoli had a large knowledge about a supermarket like where to get certain foods or products then the broco bot might help people shop - but that's what clerks are for too.
Having to do it again I think I would make the broccoli bigger and more durable. It's current size would be slayed by a normal shopping cart. I think there needs to be more affordance for people to know how to use it and probably not a sign like Andrew said. Could it constantly sway or bop back and forth to get people's attention and then use a proximity meter to know when to start talking?
I'm happy with the work, but I'm happier now because I know more technology and code to do more interesting things. but yea, baby steps.
Lata,
Purchased items include
Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle - Toys'R Us - $8
Felt - Canal Street - ~$10
Balloons - Party City - $5
5V Relay - Radio Shack - $3
Candy Corn (container) - CVS - $.99 (switch)
The project was a good experience for the first one, I really appreciated getting feedback from others and their ideas for it. While time constraints made it impossible to adjust this project I will be sure to talk up my ideas earlier on to get to use some people's ideas.
Lamar and I had both pleasant and stressful moments getting this to work. It's good to take breaks, walk away and just not think about certain pieces of the puzzle. And when all else fails ask Todd!
Here's a picture of the completed switch
On the top left is the homemade switch from a candy corn container, two metal threaded rods and a metal ball. The ball uses the two rods as contacts and becomes a rocker bumpin switch. The PIC is able to determine if the switch is open or closed and control the tape recorder from that contact. Here's a closer look.
A closer view of the breadboard is easier to follow so look at this.
On the bottom right of the board you'll see the typical 5V regulator we have been using in class since the beginning. The bottom bus has 5V in it and powers the switch (currently out of the picture) and the PIC. On the top bus is the power for the tape player - at the top left of the board we made an adjustable voltage regulator and this was described earlier - basically the adjusted voltage on the top bus is 3.7 V and this was enough to power the cassette recorder.
Using two 9V batteries we tested the voltages again and then we went to construct the broccoli. First blow up the bop bag. Next cover it in green felt and then balloons. Place board and tape player in the head region.
Enjoy these.
We didn't get permission to test the broccoli in the grocery store and I still think we should have just ran in and took the photos and left but something was in the air those last nights telling me to behave. So we took it out on the streets and had some people touch it.
The basic problems:
Interface - no one has really been standing next to a 33" tall vegetable before and they certainly don't want to break it and or knock it over. People need to know what they can and can't interact with, the broco gave mixed emotions and some people were just avoiding it. certainly no interaction from avoidance....or is there?
Listening - so if a piece of broccoli was going to talk to you would you listen? how is it going to be relevant? do you think you would respond back? Then what? If the broccoli had a large knowledge about a supermarket like where to get certain foods or products then the broco bot might help people shop - but that's what clerks are for too.
Having to do it again I think I would make the broccoli bigger and more durable. It's current size would be slayed by a normal shopping cart. I think there needs to be more affordance for people to know how to use it and probably not a sign like Andrew said. Could it constantly sway or bop back and forth to get people's attention and then use a proximity meter to know when to start talking?
I'm happy with the work, but I'm happier now because I know more technology and code to do more interesting things. but yea, baby steps.
Lata,
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