Concept:
Before starting anything else, I contemplated what I would like to use as an “electrical conductor” that will enable the flow of electricity. At first, I was thinking about utilizing aluminum foil in my project. However, unfortunately, I could not find any aluminum foil in the IM lab. So, I used salt water as my conductor. Looking at the cup of salt water, I suddenly thought of a “diver”. And I decided to work on this project with the concept of “diver”. I wanted to make the switch to be activated when the diver dives into the cup of salt water. However, since we are allowed to use our hands, I thought that it would be really interesting to make the users use their elbows to turn on the light.
To bring this concept to life, I utilized the following materials:
- 330-ohm resistor
- 1 LED light
- Jumper wires
- Cup of salt water
- Breadboard
- Arduino board
- Cable tie
- Duct tape
- Scotch tape
By combining these elements, I came up with a very cute and responsive switch design that allows users to let the diver dive into the water and turn on the light.
Process:
First of all, I made a simple circuit with four wires applying what we have learned from the class. Then, I unplugged the other end of the wire that is connected to the resistor and the other end of the wire that is connected to the LED light. Then, I attached the unplugged ends to the hand of the “diver”. So that when the diver dives into the water, the ends of these wires will also meet the water. And the water, working as a conductor, will connect these wires, ultimately enabling the LED light to be turned on as the circuit will be closed.
Light on
Then, off!
Video of the project:
Reflections
As usual, I enjoyed doing this assignment. I barely have any experience using Arduino Uno, so this was my first time making a project using Arduino Uno. There were no particular difficulties in figuring out how to make the switch work. However, it took me quite a while to figure out what concept I should do to make my “unusual switch” both unique and cute. Also, it was quite hard for me to find a method to utilize other parts of the body to turn on the switch as I could not think of other body parts for switching off something. I think I could improve this project idea by letting more LED lights turn on when the diver dives in as if the LED lights are the audience looking at the diver. This way, I think my project could be more interesting and fancy.