Concept
POW! is a human interface project which explore the idea of extending the human body using wearable technology. The concept of this project is to employ and transfer 2-D/virtual concepts into physical reality.
The focus of this project is motion, specifically the action of punching, employed in 2-D/virtual platforms such as video games and comic books. In mediums such as comics and games, every action is exaggerated and enhance with heightened sounds and visual not found in real life. For example, powering up before hitting the target in a video game, a reaction be it sound or color when the hit lands or simply applying added color and effects to emphasize the motion.
Development
POW! takes the concept of color and sound and bring the effects normally found in 2-D interfaces onto a physical surface, in essence overlaying the virtual with the physical.
With a glove as the medium to express the motion of punching, the wearable detect 2 different avenues of input and produces 3 different outputs. A soft circuit acts as the power switch or turning the glove on and off, with the circuit strategically placed so that the two sides connect only when the user is making a fist. When the glove is ‘on’, a blue LED lights up to signal that the user is powered up. When the user throws a punch a sensor detects whether or not a surface is hit, and if a hit is detected a green LED lights up (visual) and a buzzer (sound) goes off, much like that of a video game.
Prototype
POW! uses flora to power the sensor and LEDs and several iterations with the sensors, wiring and LEDs were implemented and prototyped before the final design.
Initially a distance sensor was used for the glove, however the sensor requires 5v but flora is only 3.3v, so a light sensor was used instead. Since the values outputed by both sensors were implementable in the overall functionality of the project, the change to the light sensor did not produce any complications.
Another problem during prototyping was that the LEDs would not light up while in a serial connection, so I had to replace my inital plan and reduce the 2 LEDs representing power to just one.
Another problem during prototyping was that the LEDs would not light up while in a serial connection, so I had to replace my inital plan and reduce the 2 LEDs representing power to just one.
Final Design
The final design for POW! makes use of 1 light sensor, 2 LEDs and 1 piezo buzzer. The glove is powered by a USB cord with a soft circuit implemented to act as the power switch. The light sensor is encased in a rectangular casing and stragitically placed. When a surface is hit the gap on top of the sensor is blocked and thus returns a different value. One blue LED is attached to present power and a green LED to represnt hit detection. A piezo buzzer is also added and sounds when a hit is detected.
Code/Arduino
int sensor = A7;
int buzz = 9;
int powerLed = 2;
int led = 1;
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(powerLed, OUTPUT);
pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
}
void loop(){
int sensorValue = analogRead(sensor);
digitalWrite(powerLed, HIGH);
if(sensorValue <= 50){
tone(buzz, 5);
digitalWrite(led, HIGH);
}
if(sensorValue >= 50){
noTone(9);
digitalWrite(led, LOW);
}
Serial.println(sensorValue);
delay(500);
}
Final Video
