Author: Fasya Rahmadhani

Concept

The plan for my final project is to create a pet cat experience. For someone who loves cats but was never fortunate enough to be blessed with one because her mother dislikes the idea of having a cat in the house, I want to take this opportunity to give those who are in the same situation like myself to experience the joy of having a cat, without upsetting their mothers.

The cat will be built from cardboard, and it will have a collar in which the user can choose a name of their liking to be displayed on the collar. Cats love pets and users will be able to pet the cat and have it meow or purr in content.

When you extend your hand towards the cat, the cat will give you its paw and hand you a “gift”. This act of gift giving from a cat is “an expression of affection and trust” which “shows they value your companionship and consider you part of their social group.” (Cited from here)

However, the “gifts” the cats bring can range from random toys, to dead animals. This will be reflected in the P5.js sketch wherein every time a user extends their hand, the cat will give them a new “gift”.

I hope this cat will provide comfort for cat lovers like me, or even turn non-cat lovers into one!

Arduino

Ultrasonic Sensor and Servo Motor
The ultrasonic sensor will be placed on the side of the cat, under one of the cat’s paws that is raised. The reading from the ultrasonic sensor is used to calculate the distance of the hand from the cat. If the distance is smaller than a certain threshold, this triggers the servo motor to turn which causes the cat’s paw to lower and touch the user’s hand. Once the hand is lowered, it triggers the display of the randomized object the cat will hand to the user on the P5 sketch.

Pressure Sensor
The pressure sensor will be placed on the cats head, so that when a user pets the cat, this pressure is recorded. This will then trigger the sound of a cat’s meow to play from P5.

P5

LCD Screen
The P5 sketch will prompt the user to fill in an input box to give the cat a name of their choosing. This name will be sent to the Arduino to be displayed on the LCD screen which will be placed on the cat’s neck, like a collar.

Progress

So far, I have developed a test run code for the communication between Arduino and P5, in terms of the pressure sensor, ultrasonic sensor, servo motor, and LCD screen. In this testing sketch, the pressure reading affects the background color of the sketch.

Arduino code

P5.js code of testing sketch

I have also started developing the interface of the final sketch on a separate P5 sketch. So my next step is to further develop the final P5 sketch and then incorporate the code I developed in the testing sketch into the final one. I will also have to build the actual cat from cardboard.

Exercise 1 – Moving Ellipse

Arduino Code

P5.js Sketch

Exercise 2 – LED Brightness

Prompt: Make something that controls the LED brightness from p5

Arduino Code

P5.js Sketch

Exercise 3 – Bouncing Ball

Prompt: Take the gravity wind example (https://editor.p5js.org/aaronsherwood/sketches/I7iQrNCul) and make it so every time the ball bounces one led lights up and then turns off, and you can control the wind from one analog sensor

Arduino Code

P5.js Sketch

I want to create a mini pet cat experience! The idea is to build a physical figure of a cat and have it connect to a p5.js sketch which shows the cat’s current mood. Users can pet the cat, and using some sensor (pressure sensor? or flex sensor?), the arduino will send this reading to p5.js and displays the cat’s mood on the screen.

Another way I could implement the cat is if I have it illustrated in p5.js. This way, users can also play yarn with the cat and watch the cat on the screen move to the user’s hand movements (perhaps tracked by an ultrasonic sensor).

This third way of implementation is I think on the harder side to implement, but I could try making a physical figure of a cat and use wheels so that it is able to move. Perhaps I could make the user control this movement using an ultrasonic sensor as well.

As someone who has been wearing glasses for almost all her life, I never considered it as an assistive device (even though it is, since I would be blind without them). It really just proves how the use of eyewear has become so normalized, and somehow capitalized into this fashion wear. I’m all for it honestly, I love when people get creative with self expression and using a variety of glasses is one of the ways people do so. I think the same can be said about contact lenses. They are technically an assistive device too, yet it is also commonly used to enhance one’s look; another form of self expression.

I really appreciate the comment on simplicity; it reminds me of the saying “less is more.” Sometimes it’s so easy to go overboard with features and always wanting to improve or update a work in progress, but it only ends up messy and overwhelming to work with. So this was a great reminder to keep it simple, because not everything that has extensive features are always considered good; as long as it does what it’s intended to do, I think that’s a success. And sometimes if we focus too much on adding features, we tend to lose track of the original intention, so it’s definitely better to keep it simple and try to not lose sight of what’s intended.

Concept

Aysha and I designed a musical instrument that merges digital and analog elements to create an interactive, light-based piano. Our idea centers around a glowing wand that functions as a control interface. When moved over the keys, the wand activates notes from the C major scale (C, D, E, F, and G) like magic, and the brightness of its glow determines the octave. We integrated a potentiometer to adjust brightness, allowing users to easily shift the octave up or down. Additionally, we added a switch to toggle the instrument off, which prevents accidental note activation—particularly useful to avoid unintended sounds from ambient light sources like flashlights.

Details

To bring our vision to life, we used five photoresistors to detect light from the wand and mapped each sensor’s range to specific notes (C, D, E, F, and G) and their octave scales. By setting sensor thresholds from a default minimum to a maximum value that a flashlight might produce, we could dynamically adjust the octave based on the brightness the photoresistor detects. Essentially, the brighter the wand, the higher the octave, allowing for an expressive range in tone.

For the wand itself, we created a purple glow using an RGB LED, giving the instrument an ethereal fairy-like visual quality. A potentiometer is attached to the LED to control brightness, making it easy for users to adjust the octaves.

Demo

(peep Aysha’s amazing vocals)

Code snippet

To vary the brightness of the RGB LED we used a potentiometer. By using the sensor reading from the potentiometer, we used it as a percentage and fed it through a setColor function (from here) similar to how the alpha parameter does in an RGBA function. This way we can vary the intensity of each of the red, green, and blue LEDs in the RGB LED to control the overall brightness of the purple color.

void  loop() {
  // reading sensor value from potentiometer
  sensorVal = analogRead(potPin);
  brightness = (double)sensorVal / 1023;
  Serial.println(brightness);
  
  setColor(170, 0, 255, brightness); // purple color
}

// function from (https://projecthub.arduino.cc/semsemharaz/interfacing-rgb-led-with-arduino-b59902)
void setColor(int redValue, int greenValue,  int blueValue, double brightValue) {
  analogWrite(redPin, (double) redValue * brightValue);
  analogWrite(greenPin,  (double) greenValue  * brightValue);
  analogWrite(bluePin, (double) blueValue  * brightValue);
}

Code

Wand Code

Keyboard Code

Circuit illustration

Schematics

Keyboard:

Wand:

Reflection

This was a really fun project to make! I think in the future if we had more space we could have added more photoresistors to act as more keyboard keys and thus have more notes that are playable, or add a second wand which allows two fairies to play the piano!

After reading Bret Victor’s rant on how technology is growing and how the future is illustrated as filled with fingers swiping on a screen, a phenomenon he calls “picture under glass”, I found myself thinking of how the current events could look like for the future.

Yes there is the image of a developed future with advanced technologies everywhere. But seeing how the internet and its trend culture affects the development people’s preferences, maybe the future isn’t set to just be about advanced technologies.

Take the digicam trend right now: people are going back to using digicams over their iPhone cameras to get that aesthetic retro look to their photos. Then there is also that Y2K fashion trend. Again and again, people are finding things from ‘back then’ interesting and bringing it back to its peak.

I personally like this part about society; finding the joy in things that other people used to enjoy in another era of time, that may have been long forgotten.

Concept

I wanted to do some kind of distance sensor, so I tried to use the ultrasonic sensor, however I didn’t fully understand how it works yet, so I opted to use the photoresistor as my sensor. The reading from the photoresistor will affect the brightness of the yellow LED: the less light there is (the closer the car is tot he sensor), the brighter the yellow LED is, thus lighting up as a warning. As for my switch, I attached one connection to a strip of copper tape and the other to the car: whenever the car is in contact with the copper tape, the red LED lights up.

Photos and Videos

Code Snippet

// constraining and mapping sensor reading to range 0 - 255
sensorVal = constrain(sensorVal, 700, 725);
brightness = map(sensorVal, 725, 700, 0, 255);

This is a snippet of a code that I’m proud of: it’s when I used the map function to convert the sensor readings into analog output values, however I had to use the reverse logic since I want the LED to get brighter when there is low readings from the sensor (inverse relationship).

Circuit Illustration

Arduino Setup

This was made using Tinkercad.

Code

GitHub

Reflection

I want to try to fully understand the Ultrasonic sensor and then using it next time for projects regarding ranges.

Physical Computing’s Greatest Hits (and Misses)

This reading was very insightful and interesting! I really enjoyed learning about all the different kinds of physical computing and how it has developed. I love the reference to the Scooby-doo painting, I never thought it could be a type of physical computing.

There’s this idea of physical computing being used as a horror factor. In the idea of ‘interactive dolls’, to me, if they move on their own or make a sound of their own, it is slightly disturbing and unsettling to think about. Imagine seeing one move in a dark room and then it making a sound; I’d be very freaked out. But I guess my freaked out reaction is what makes ‘interactive dolls’ thrive in the market; the fact that they can incite such a strong reaction out of someone (though it’s not a positive reaction).

Making Interactive Art: Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen

Tom Igoe highlights the importance of not interfering with the audience’s experience to an interactive piece. I think that this is a crucial note to consider for artists because the main idea behind an interactive art is to let the audience interact with the piece; it’s part of the art experience. Their confusion, excitement, all these reactions (or the lack thereof) is what makes a piece interactive.

In his words, artists are supposed to ‘listen’ to the audience. This reminds me of the three components to interactivity (according to Chris Crawford): listening, thinking and speaking. In the same way an interactive piece is supposed to listen to the audience’s actions, an artist should listen to the audience’s reaction to their piece; only then will the artist truly see the effect their piece has on the public.

Concept

With the assignment being to create an unusual switch that doesn’t require the use of the hands, I struggled a bit to come up with an idea. After seeing an example in class (the one using foil mustache that completes a circuit when smiling), I wanted to use some kind of an action using the a body part to complete a circuit as well. So I came up with the idea to use the action of waving. When you wave, the forearm and the upper arm usually makes contact, and I used this point of contact as my unusual switch. Hence the name: Wave to Say Hi!

Photos and Videos

 

Code Snippet

void setup() {
  // initialize input and output
  pinMode(12, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(10, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(A2, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // variale declarations
  int greenLED = 12;
  int redLED = 10;
  int buttonState = digitalRead(A2);

  if (buttonState == HIGH){
    // if waving hi, green light ON, red light OFF
    digitalWrite(greenLED, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(redLED, LOW);
  }
  else {
    // if not waving hi, green light OFF, red light ON
    digitalWrite(greenLED, LOW);
    digitalWrite(redLED, HIGH);
  }
  
}

Circuit Illustration

(Circuit illustration done on PowerPoint)

Arduino Setup

(I used the website Tinkercad to make the above Arduino circuit diagram.)

For this project I used two LEDs: red and green. I connected the two LEDs to the pins D10 and D12 respectively, and hence used them as outputs in my code. For the analog input, I had my unusual switch (which would be in place of the push button switch in the diagram) making a connection between 5V and the pin A2.

Code

Github Link

Reflection

I was happy with how I incorporated two outputs into my circuit, but for my input, I’d like to try using a sensor instead of a ‘switch’ in the future.

Her Code Got Humans on the Moon—And Invented Software Itself

I was previously not aware on who Margaret Hamilton is before reading this article, and I wish I would have known her sooner. Her contribution to the software engineering field, and her role in its development, is very inspiring. When it said that after a late-night party, she rushed back to the lab to correct a code that she realized was flawed, out of fear for the headlines in naming her as the one at fault, I realized the sheer amount of stress and responsibilities that she had, and I truly look up to her dedication and commitment to her work.

This article also highlighted the importance of error handling. When Hamilton told the higher-ups that they should develop the code to prevent the crash, they dismissed her concern and decided not to do anything about it. In the end, the worst case happened. I think the lesson here is valuable to programmers alike: we need to expect the unexpected, prepare for all the possible outcomes, and develop ways to handle all of those outcomes. It might not be possible to always know every possible outcome, but this is exactly why testing is so important: to realize flaws and holes in the program, in the same way Hamilton realized the possibility of the crash because of her daughter.

Emotions & Design: Attractive things work better

Norman’s exploration of the balance between aesthetic and usability and their importance on design is something to think about when thinking of a product. Norman highlights how the aesthetics of a design affects the mood of the user, which in turn affects the usability of it.

This reminds me of how things nowadays are designed with a heavy focus on aesthetics in mind. For example, cute stationaries and journals are popular recently, with ‘back to school haul’ and ‘what’s in my bag’ videos trending on social media. Yes they are cute, but that’s not the only reason why they’re popular. I think that the reason they are so popular is because they’re cute and they’re useful. The aesthetics of the journal inspires the person to continue journaling, the cute notebooks motivates people to make notes, and the same with cute pens and highlighters.

I think that it’s this connection between aesthetics and human emotion that is able to contribute to the overall experience of the design.