In Design frontiers class we were tasked with coming up with applications for Konarka Power Plastics. We were given certain specifications for how solar plastic works – each node needs to be the same surface area, different colors create different power output, etc. Here’s our design – a concealable modular power source for outdoor deployment. It’s vinelike, plant-like aesthetic allows for use in areas where traditional solar panels might not be an option, and it’s designed for adjustment to follow the sun.

Konarka Power Plastic is a photovoltaic material that captures both indoor and outdoor light and converts it into direct current (DC) electrical energy. This energy can be used immediately, stored for later use, or converted to other forms. Power Plastic can be applied to a limitless number of potential applications – from microelectronics to portable power, remote power and building-integrated applications.

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Mike Kelberman and I had some fun with cornstarch last night:

Making Non-Newtonian Fluid from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.

Non-Newtonian Fluid – Act 1 from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.

More videos can be found on my vimeo page.

This works because non-newtonian fluids seem to have both properties of solids and liquids. From the wikipedia entry:

A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose flow properties are not described by a single constant value of viscosity. Many polymer solutions and molten polymers are non-Newtonian fluids, as are many commonly found substances such as ketchup, starch suspensions, paint, blood and shampoo. In a Newtonian fluid, the relation between the shear stress and the strain rate is linear (and if one were to plot this relationship, it would pass through theorigin), the constant of proportionality being the coefficient of viscosity. In a non-Newtonian fluid, the relation between the shear stress and the strain rateis nonlinear, and can even be time-dependent. Therefore a constant coefficient of viscosity cannot be defined.

Why were we playing with this? Mostly because it’s fun, but also because of this video:

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This project created 2 wireless masks that vocoded whatever performers said into animal sounds. The “deerwolf” produced mammal sounds. The “batdragonfly” produced insect/bird sounds.

The pet sounds project ended up producing quite a few things, depending on how the project is considered. The best byproduct for me is that is the realization that I’ve created a reasonably affordable platform to create wireless “performance devices”. The design, construction, and components used in the masks end up being right around $100. You will need a laptop, but most people who would be building the masks already own that. When you’re done, you’ll have a masks that wirelessly vocodes whatever you say, in any way you like.

The biggest letdown of the semester was my inability to get an Xbee and an accelerometer to work reliably alongside an analog FM transmitter (on the same circuit). As far as I can tell, I was unable to isolate the circuit enough to get reliable information from the accelerometer, and that meant that motion sensing masks were not an option.

Read on for all the tech specs.

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Here’s a quick presentation for my fabricating information class. A more complete rundown when the semester is finished.

The epic journey to use an Arduino to check a Gmail account and then broadcast the message over Nordic’s transceiver chips has come to an end. We just can’t seem to make it work, and I need my breadboards for the next project. Basically, the WizNet chip that allows the Arduino to connect to the internet runs on Arduino 13 software, and the custom library for the Nordic wireless chips requires Arduino 11. I don’t have quite the hardware chops to iron that problem out, so I’m moving on.

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Martin Using the PongKnucks™ from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.

Networked Pong using Punching Motion.

I LOVE plastic. Just sayin’. In particular, I’ve been blown away by how quickly and professionally the NYU Advanced media studio produces my designs from lasercut acrylic. Just a quick post about the flat-pack chandelier, and the Pet Sounds mask I created using the rapid prototyping services. Here’s a few photos—the objects were designed in Adobe Illustrator, and any other information about the lasercutting process can be found on the AMS website.

From ITP – Pcomp

Fun stuff. Make sure you turn up your sound.

Pet Sounds from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.

I wasn’t sure what to use as source material, so I read an excerpt from the the phenomenal “Dog Poem” by Phillip Levine.

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Here’s the circuit that will eventually go in the mask, including the working transmitter!

A circuit diagram for the NS73M is after the jump. Can’t remember where I found this. But thanks!

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Here’s the proof of concept that you can do some FFT Analysis in Processing. WARNING: this thing doesn’t really do a great job yet, and you can only trigger a few (overly long) sounds. It will probably create a feedback loop on your machine.

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By: Nahanaeli Schelling, Peter Esveld, Caroline Brown

Petje is a pair of interactive animals. The paired Petjes communicate with each other via vibrations and light. Petting one Petje will trigger vibrations in the other. The movement and material (fur, fabric, and synthetic skin) combine to create an impression of life. This lifelike quality creates a feeling of presence which can be conveyed to each user.

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Finally got the accelerometer working. Phew.

Accelerometer Controls White Ball. Exciting! from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.

We finally got it working, after we realized the switch needed a separate power + ground. :-/

H-Bridges are coooooool.

The top one is the sending part of the pair, the bottom is the receiving/reacting part.

Here’s the sensor setup – used a sensor setup with the same circuit plan as last week.

The Arduino is reading the serial input, but as garbage values. So we go into Processing. Here’s the video:

Arduino Serial Communication 1 from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.

Instead of a potentiometer, I used a stretch sensor just to keep things interesting. It wasn’t really that difficult, besides reading the slightly odd values returned by the sensors. Tom Igoe’s code worked handily after adding a few println commands to compare values between the sensor and mapping function.

Here’s the loop statement snippet I modified for a 4″ sensor. (the values will still be wrong since I broke the sensor and had to fix it):

void loop() {
 analogValue = analogRead(analogPin);      // read the analog input
 pulse = map(analogValue,45,30,minPulse,maxPulse);    // convert the analog value
 Serial.println(analogValue);
 Serial.println(pulse);    // to a range between minPulse
 // and maxPulse.
 // pulse the servo again if rhe refresh time (20 ms) have passed:
 if (millis() - lastPulse >= refreshTime) {
   digitalWrite(servoPin, HIGH);   // Turn the motor on
   delayMicroseconds(pulse);       // Length of the pulse sets the motor position
   digitalWrite(servoPin, LOW);    // Turn the motor off
   lastPulse = millis();           // save the time of the last pulse
 }
}

Minkinator is a prototype interactive mink stole. She will eventually be updated with a range of features (TBD). For now, enjoy her light-up eyes.

Here’s some (blurry) documentation of me learning about Ohm’s Law and basic circuitry. LEDs are pretty.

A switch on / off setup.

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We were asked to walk around in public and observe people using mobile devices and other handheld technology. Here are our notes. We started in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and walked all through Williamsburg.

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Analog Out – LED lights up when you turn the pot. from Peter Esveld on Vimeo.