Concept
I was talking on my phone with my friend I remember finding myself thinking about this project and not concentrating on the conversation. This immediately reminded me of the idiom “to have a light bulb moment”, therefore I decided to make a switch that would lighten the bulb when the phone touches my ear.
Circuit Diagram and Highlights
I taped some aluminum foil to my phone case and some to my ear. If the phone case touches the ear, then the LED light will switch on because the circuit is connected.
Here is a link to the video of my project: Light bulb moment
I faced one challenge sticking the wires to the aluminum foil. I needed to make sure that the wire was not moving and tightly touched the foil. I resolved this by using the double-sided tape. I thought about alternative conductive fabrics when making this project, however, I eliminated other options, such as conducting tape, as I am aware that the sticky side of the tape is not that conducting.
Future thoughts and reflection
If I decide to revisit this task, I would enhance its visual appeal. I believe I can use a metal phone case and make some kind of metal accessory that could be worn on the ear. Moreover, to avoid holding Arduino and solderless breadboards, I would need to use longer wires.
I believe this project might function as a start for developing a detection program, which would lighten the bulb any time someone is dissociated and not focused when talking on the phone. Such a program would be helpful for everyone who is trying to stay motivated and not distracted during long calls.
