GMU:Sensor Hacklab/Rachel Smith

Project Overview

In this course I wanted to develop an interactive object for use with the performance platform, the idea being that the tracking system would sense human movement and send this data to the object which, in turn, would respond. Eventually, I want to build a wall/curtain structure which will hang in between two people and act as a medium of communication.

The wall will be made up of units, each an origami structure with the ability to move individually. In this course I have experimented with various ways of achieving this movement and also with various sensory inputs.

Link to main project

Technical Implementation

Protoyping Experiments

Experimenting with spaghetti as a sensor using variable resistance in a voltage divider circuit to send values to the arduino analogue input pin.

Here is an experiment with 'Muscle Wire' which shrinks when certain currents are applied. I tried sewing it into the paper to see what kinds of movement could happen. It resulted in subtle, slow movements which were too slight for this project so I looked again at servo motors.