Finalized Concept for the Project:
“Interactive Musical Garden” is an immersive installation combining technology and nature, designed to create a harmonious interaction between physical and digital realms. The project features a set of 3D-printed roses, each equipped with capacitive touch sensors and LEDs, laid out on a cardboard garden surface to mimic a garden. Interacting with these roses triggers specific musical tones and stimulates the blooming of virtual flowers on a screen, managed via a P5 sketch. This setup aims to explore the symbiotic relationship between touch-based interactions and visual-audio feedback, enhancing the user’s sensory experience through art and technology.
Design and Description of the Arduino Program:
Inputs: The Arduino will use capacitive touch sensors placed beneath each 3D-printed rose. These sensors detect the presence and duration of touch.
Outputs: Corresponding to each sensor, LEDs under the roses light up when a touch is detected. Additionally, the Arduino will send serial data to the P5 sketch indicating which rose was touched.
Interactive Elements:
Visual Outputs: The P5 sketch will display a dynamic garden where each touch on a physical rose causes a new type of flower to bloom at random positions on the screen.
Audio Feedback: Different musical tones are played corresponding to which rose is touched, enhancing the multisensory experience.
User Testing Goals:
Usability: Assess the ease of interaction and intuitiveness of the touch interfaces.
Responsiveness: Measure the system’s responsiveness and the synchronization between physical touches and digital responses.
Aesthetic and Sensory Feedback: Gather feedback on the visual and auditory elements to determine if they effectively enhance the user experience.
To-Dos:
- Begin assembling the components as per the design (I couldn’t get all the sensors yet because of unavailability but as soon as I get them I’ll try to assemble everything).
- Complete printing all the roses (I’ve one prototype now but I’d need to replicate another 3).
- Test the initial versions of the Arduino and P5 code (I’ve written the primary codes, I’ll be repurposing the Virtual Garden p5 assignment I’d completed, and I’ve shortlisted which sound files I want to use).