Formal
Water Xylophone is a device using a pulse sensor, servomotors and LEDs (light emitting diode). It is a stand-alone artwork and we could make various sound with different amounts of water in glasses. As we make the amounts of water in three glasses different, each glass could have its own pitches. Therefore, we could use this device like a musical instrument. It has an interaction between human and computer because we added an Arduino program which stores analyses one’s heart rate data to this device.
Aesthetic
The visitors could participate in this artwork providing their heart rate data. Moreover, they could activate this device to improvise, observing performance. The work, water xylophone, receives and stores one’s heart rate and also visualizes it to sound which we are able to hear.
Technical
When we fill glasses with water, the visitors then lay their forefinger down on a pulse sensor and wait for 5 seconds. And then Arduino would measure visitors’ heart rate and calculate its average. When visitors input number one into a device, a servomotor would hit the glass1 with speed which is the same with the visitors’ heart rate. For the colorful and visual effect, we used LED on the glass. Glass2 and glass3 work in the same way. If all three glasses receive the visitors data, they work with each different sound and color.
Context
Its topic is creative expression, specifically interactive bio-feedback artwork. We were inspired by a music box which plays music automatically when someone open its cover. While seeing still, we could become emotional, so we wanted to decorate our device like a music box with cute feeling. Although we cannot bring it comfortably like a bag, we intended to make our device play anywhere and at any time.
This is a final project of physical computing class in 2013.
Let's play with your heartbeat!!!
You can put your finger on the sensor to measure your heart rate.
Please wait 5 seconds to calculate your heart rate average.
You can see red light on and survo-motor's action.
We decorated like a music box.
You can play it whenever and wherever you want.
Enjoy it ^0^/
