"Project Ganache" Final Installation: Gaby

Project Ganache 

Ganache is a fun way to decorate cakes using spiraling motions. It combines mechanics, electricity, and math, allowing for fun experimentation with icing as well as a taste of the world of a wedding cake maker.

Technology:

1. Arduino Uno
2. Potentiometer
3. DC motors
4. Laser cutting

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everybody who helped in the brainstorming and definition of this project: Dale Clifford, Zack Jacobson-Weaver, Chin Wei, Nissa Nishiyama, Ayobami Olubeko, Amy Friedman, Austin McCasland, and Andre Le. A special thanks especially to Jake Marsico, Mauricio Contreras and again Dale and Zach for patient guidance and help with the electronics and mechanics. Thanks in addition to the Mischer Traxler "'till you stop automatic cake decorator" project for the inspiration.

Looking Out: Gaby

Chopsticking

Chopsticking is a two player board game designed to test and improve one's chopsticking skills. While the sushi bowl spins, each player has 30 seconds to pick up as much sushi as possible while accurately holding the chopsticks.

You can find out more about the project at these links:

• Sharpening Chopstick Skills with “Chopsticking” (Maker Fair NYC 2013)
• Chopsticking (Project Page)

Final Project Proposal: Gaby

Goal

Cakes are delightful to make and delicious to consume. They can be used to congratulate, celebrate, and console. However, making a good cake can also take more time than we have. This project proposes an experience where a person can interactively design his or her own cake and pick it up within minutes.

Concept

This project will scope itself to building an interactive tool or buddy that will guide a user in a part of the cake design process.

Similar Work 

Materials

These will be determined in the first week of ideating and paper prototyping according to the kind of aid we want to provide to the user.

Timeline

1 - ideating and early paper prototypes

2 - material list and first rough but functional prototype

3 - iterating prototype

4 - checkpoint: functional prototype

5 - out in the world, all core functionality 

6 - out in the world, polish

7 - out in the world, polish

8 - final documentation

Squeaky Whisker v4

Overview

We took apart a printer and used its parts for materials to build an interactive whisker prototype. We found an unexpected surprise in the gears which create different sounds based on the materials applied to them.

Initially, users played with a spring to close a simple circuit which would turn the gears. They would place different materials along them to create different sounds which each seemed to take on a personality.

Our second iteration explored the look of the machine. We laser cut a cat-like mask out  of black acrylic  to "dress up" our little robot. Based on feedback we realized that leaving the raw parts exposed created a more honest and deliberate character.

Later we experimented with a different kind of input and ended up attaching a photo-resistor which spins the gears in proportion to the  amount of light in the environment, making it seem like the machine is scared of the dark.

Materials

• Photo-resistor
• Arduino Uno
• Motor
• 9V alkaline battery
• 12V sealed lead-acid battery
• Hacked printer parts
• Foam base
• Electronic components (breadboard, resistors, mosfet, wires, etc)

Whisker Review –Andre, Maya, Gaby

A few things to note about the transition from v2 – v3 of this project.

      1.  I find that the removal of the kitten mask makes the piece a lot more complex, an juicy to grapple with.  Whereas in v2 the objective was to make it more personable, I believe that the non-representational version allows the mind to run wild a bit more readily.  I feel less locked into a particular way of looking at the piece.


2.  In v3, you have gone back to trying to use the motor to create movement and thus sound.  This is a definite step forward in my mind.   Adding not only motion, but sound as key elements in the piece makes it feel robust and full, where the kitty cat mask v2 felt a little flat and pandering to the cuteness of kittens.

3.   I’m not sure what the alligator clip to the spring is doing.  Hard to tell from the documentation.

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Self Evaluation


In my whisker v3 I am keeping with the rotational theme of my whisker.  Something which was said about this iteration as well as my other whisker iterations is that they seemed to be creature-like.  This got me to thinking about what the point of having a creature that simply shows it’s rotation with markers  would be – none!  So I set about creating an environment for the piece to exist in, in which it’s rotation does serve a purpose; looming over other creatures and scaring the bajeezus out of them.  The piece now uses it’s rotation as a mechanism to strike fear into cubes.  It uses the old drawing utencil holder as wire guides for its power source  Inside each cube is a motor, and when the creature towers over a cube, it shakes in fear.  I really feel like the piece has come to life since I’ve added this dynamic to it.

Evaluation of Mauricio, Nissa and Chinwei's Whisker

Overall, we love the interactivity of the new iteration of the camera. It seems to have evolved from a stationary object to a mobile "rover." The rover seems very exploratory, with a childish curiosity to it. One thing we would like to see is more communication coming from it due to its constantly changing environment. We also discussed a few other forms of input, such as visual and other touch sensors around the body which would complement its form. Below is a list of topics that came up during our feedback session as well as questions to pursue.

Input

• Where should whiskers be located? Front of device or on the sides of camera? 
• Can we add more degrees of freedom to whisker, what happens if i hit it from the top/bottom? Would it stop? Move backward? 
• What if it had a tail? 
• What if it had an antennae? 
• What about visual input via the camera? 

Output

• Add friction to wheels 
• It is so mobile that it should always be communicating.
• What kind of movements can it use to communicate?
• Can it use light as a means of communication?
• Can it make a sound? What sound? dog, cat, it's own sound like Wall-e.
• What other kinds of communication can come from this?

Whisker v3 - Andre, Maya, Gaby

The third phase of our project brings more attention to the mechanical face of our little "robot." We have taken away the mask and are thinking instead we will work with the current personality of the materials such as the metal and the gears. The new wheels are a means of mounting it and in addition, we are trying out a rubber band as a means of connecting the gears so that we can work on adding back the original sound interactivity from the first model.

Whisker v2 - Andre, Maya, Gaby

In our second iteration of the whisker, we tried to minimize the form by removing what we thought were extraneous components. At the core of this whisker was the springy switch, the movement of the motor, and the sound that it emits when applying materials to the gears. We also wanted to experiment with our newfound fabrication capabilities with the laser-cutter and the different materials. We removed the long metal rods that protruded out from the whisker and added several laser cut pieces of acrylic to give it a bit of personality, make it look more friendly and approachable.

Looking Out: Gaby

Emotion Technology

Project Date: Jun 10, 2011

Rosalind Picard is the director and founder of the Affective Computing group at the MIT Media Lab. "Affective Computing" can involve implementing emotions and giving a computer the ability to recognize, express and respond to emotions, among other things (Source: Affective Computing, 2000).

This video demonstrates how measuring arousal via skin conductance sensors can give us insight into what techniques can best connect with people on an emotional level. For example, measuring arousal  during a movie commercial, a class, or a presentation. These sensors have applications in advertising, health, education and many other fields.

Elmo Calls

Project Date: 2011

Elmo Calls is an interactive educational tool that encourages children to engage in imaginative play, practice new skills, and sing songs with Elmo. It was developed by a group of child-development experts, veteran toy designers and interaction designers at IDEO. (Source: Elmo Calls, IDEO Toy Lab).

I find this video pretty cool because it's so creative and playful yet still manages to show how important the choice of technology (phone, sound, video) as well as context (ex: bedtime, bathroom) is to the engaging the user. I also love how it involves the parents, who can program times for Elmo to call their son or daughter. This has a lot of applications in education and entertainment.