For this assignment to create an unusual switch, I decided to create a circuit with the cutest tool possible- my emotional support plushie.
( His name’s Poochababy 
)
Concept:
I feel like hugs are meant to comfort you and “light” up your world when you’re sad or lonely, so that’s my concept here! So when you hug Poochababy, the LED lights up!
the circuit:
First, I formed a simple circuit, using jumper wires, alligator clips, resistors, 2 red LEDs, aluminium foil, some tape and of course, Arduino Uno! Then I connected the ends to Poochababy with some tape. I then taped some aluminium foil to my T-shirt to complete the circuit when I hug Poochababy.
Here’s a close up of the circuit and the connections. And the link to the video demo :
Challenges and Improvements :
I first tried to use only jumper wires, but it was too short. So I fixed that by using alligator clips, which helped me getting longer wires. It was also a bit hard to place the aluminium foil correctly, but a few adjustments and strips of tape helped!
For improvements, I would definitely like to hide the wires in some neater way on Poochababy, some sort of covering maybe. I would also like to experiment with codes, maybe a sweet audio message to play when we hug Poochababy. I would also like to adjust the LEDs using code, maybe for them to blink faster or slower when we hug tighter!