Whisker V1, V2 & V3: Liang, Wanfang and Ayo

INTRODUCTION

Tasked with the project of making a whisker for a 'chinchilla/human hybrid', we set off on an epic journey of discovering what it means to be a 'whisker'. The only constraint that guided our exploration was the requirement that the whisker retain sensitivity to a physical input.

VERSION 1

Our initial prototypes were created by exploring the materials within the immediate vicinity of the Code Lab. We sought to give form to a whisker that would respond to touch input. The image on the left was created from a wooden stick, zip ties, gel beads, and a modified plastic bottle. The idea behind its operation was to capture touch by bending the structure one way or the other.  

The image in the middle was created using a gear recycled from a rabbit, plywood, a metal rod, and three springs. The idea behind its operation was to capture touch input in the springs and use this energy to rotate the structure. One idea that was bandied around was to attach a pencil to the end of the whisker and have it record the touches imparted to it on paper. The advantage of this whisker was its pleasant one-to-one mapping between input(touch) and output (shape deformation). This property served as fodder for the third prototype.   

The third prototype embodied the form we imagined for a whisker that would respond to touch input. It was created using five springs, paper, and a metal rod. Because of its use of lightweight construction materials, it deformed quite pleasantly when touched and evoked a 'jello' metaphor. However, our desire for more interactivity inspired the future iterations of the whisker.

VERSION 2

After feedback from our peers, that our whisker reminded them of lunar modules, we shifted our design focus to explore this concept a little bit more. This design utilized acrylic and electronics to create a whisker that would light up in response to touch input. The shape of the whisker was designed to be hexagonal in order to allow the modular connection of an arbitrary number of these whisker modules.

VERSION 3

Further feedback from our peers revealed that while the second iteration was enjoyable, it lost the interactive capabilities of the initial prototype. Thus, we sought to integrate these capabilities into this final version. We utilized 3d-printed parts (to make the structure more flexible than acrylic), a ping-pong ball to (diffuse the integrated LED and add a level of interactivity), a coil of wire, and four springs. While retaining the lunar module feel of the previous iteration, interactivity was added by programming behaviors into the whisker. Upon initial touch, the whisker emits a cool blue light, a sort of welcome to the user. If the whisker is still held for a period longer than approximately 2 secs, the whisker proceeds to emit a pulsing green light that signifies it is communicating with either the user, or another module. Now, if the whisker is bent or deformed from its original straight orientation, it emits a red light and begins to vibrate signifying that it is uncomfortable and angry. These additional behaviours breathed new life into the whisker, transforming it from a simple input-output sensor, to a seemingly complex thing with emotions and motivations.

Hardware: Teensy 2.0, Whisker(Wires), RGBLED, Motor, CapacitiveSensor is a library in Arduino, just using a wire and a large resister (10MOhm) can let the Teensy (Can write code in Ardunio) to get

analog signal of touch.

Design process video:

Final version demo:

CONCLUSION
We present a series of iteration processes for designing a whisker. Along with the process and calendar addressed in MTI, we practice sketch design, prototyping, laser cutting and 3D printing. To make whisker interactive, we also put some sensor technology there and produce digital outputs. The next step for this prototype focuses on two aspects:
1. Shape redesign.
2. Multiple whiskers communication.

Links:
Fabrication Package: https://github.com/EdigaHe/Whisker-Fabrication-Source-Files/tree/master
Capacitive Sensor: http://mtif13.blogspot.com/2013/10/about-capacitivesensor-in-ardunio.html 
Teensy: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11780
Teensy Source Code: https://github.com/wfdiao/CapacitiveSensorForArduinio/blob/master/CapacitiveSensorSketch/CapacitiveSensorSketch.ino