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=== Motivation === | === Motivation === | ||
[[File:Bubble machine sketch idea.jpg|thumb|329x329px]] | |||
After attending a few sessions of this class, I started brainstorming what could my topic of interest be. Honestly it was a bit confusing and challenging to try combining/connecting plants and electronics somehow. But what I noticed during my plants' observation was that I was interested in the respiration process of my plants. and decided to make a bubble machine which can visualize the respiration process/cycle of my plants. I think bubbles are fun and matches the concept of respiration, since they are somewhat transparent/translucent, and we cannot really observe the plants' respiration. With the bubbles, I was trying to simulate or reflect the respiration, hence the project name "'''Respiring Reflections'''". | After attending a few sessions of this class, I started brainstorming what could my topic of interest be. Honestly it was a bit confusing and challenging to try combining/connecting plants and electronics somehow. But what I noticed during my plants' observation was that I was interested in the respiration process of my plants. and decided to make a bubble machine which can visualize the respiration process/cycle of my plants. I think bubbles are fun and matches the concept of respiration, since they are somewhat transparent/translucent, and we cannot really observe the plants' respiration. With the bubbles, I was trying to simulate or reflect the respiration, hence the project name "'''Respiring Reflections'''". | ||
During the process of growing my Pothos plants (''Epipremnum aureum'') from cuttings (Stecklinge) and documented their growth, that was where I started to think: "Are my plants breathing? They seem fine, their leaves are green... but are they really okay?" The idea was that the soap bubbles quantity would be according to the CO<sub>2</sub> level of the plants' enclosed environment, divided into three categories: Low, Medium and High CO<small>2</small> level. When the CO<small>2</small> level in the plants' environment rises, then there will be more soap bubbles. In order to do so, I watched videos and read blogs/forums related to the DIY bubble maker machine, until I had a plan on the materials needed and how to make it. | During the process of growing my Pothos plants (''Epipremnum aureum'') from cuttings (Stecklinge) and documented their growth, that was where I started to think: "Are my plants breathing? They seem fine, their leaves are green... but are they really okay?" The idea was that the soap bubbles quantity would be according to the CO<sub>2</sub> level of the plants' enclosed environment, divided into three categories: Low, Medium and High CO<small>2</small> level. When the CO<small>2</small> level in the plants' environment rises, then there will be more soap bubbles. In order to do so, I watched videos and read blogs/forums related to the DIY bubble maker machine, until I had a plan on the materials needed and how to make it. | ||
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=== Respiring Reflections - First Prototype and First Trials === | === Respiring Reflections - First Prototype and First Trials === | ||
For the bubble machine itself, all I needed was a fan, a rotating motor, bubble sticks and a container for the soap bubble liquid. To produce more soap bubbles, the motor needs to rotate faster. The bubble sticks need to dip into the soap bubble liquid and then they will pick up the soap liquid to be blown in front of a fan to produce bubbles. To test out this logic, I made the first prototype out of cardboard. This turned out to be helpful for consideration of measurements for the final prototype. Other than the bubble machine as a whole, I also did trials on the CO<sub>2</sub> sensor in the plants' enclosed environment. Moreover, I tried to experiment with the closeness of the fan to the bubble sticks, for it to be able to blow bubbles. Through the trials, I found that the fan was strong enough to blow the bubbles only in specific areas, with a certain closeness. Therefore, I needed to consider and experiment with the distance and placement of the fan towards the rotating bubble sticks.<gallery mode="nolines" widths=" | For the bubble machine itself, all I needed was a fan, a rotating motor, bubble sticks and a container for the soap bubble liquid. To produce more soap bubbles, the motor needs to rotate faster. The bubble sticks need to dip into the soap bubble liquid and then they will pick up the soap liquid to be blown in front of a fan to produce bubbles. To test out this logic, I made the first prototype out of cardboard. This turned out to be helpful for consideration of measurements for the final prototype. Other than the bubble machine as a whole, I also did trials on the CO<sub>2</sub> sensor in the plants' enclosed environment. Moreover, I tried to experiment with the closeness of the fan to the bubble sticks, for it to be able to blow bubbles. Through the trials, I found that the fan was strong enough to blow the bubbles only in specific areas, with a certain closeness. Therefore, I needed to consider and experiment with the distance and placement of the fan towards the rotating bubble sticks.<gallery mode="nolines" widths="260" heights="140"> | ||
File:Cardboard prototype.jpg | File:Cardboard prototype.jpg | ||
File:Cardboard prototype 2.jpg | File:Cardboard prototype 2.jpg | ||