Process

I finally connected Arduino to my game and before setting up the jumping board, I tried checking whether the force resistor works and if so, how it works.  I searched on the internet how to connect the force resistor sensor to Arduino and get the data.

Schematic

I followed this schematic to hook up the resistor:

Arduino code:

int fsrPin = 0;     // the FSR and 10K pulldown are connected to a0
int fsrReading;     // the analog reading from the FSR resistor divider
 
void setup(void) {
  Serial.begin(9600);   
}
 
void loop(void) {
  fsrReading = analogRead(fsrPin);  
 
  Serial.print("Analog reading = ");
  Serial.print(fsrReading); 
}

Next steps:

• Work on the jumpability of the game
• Set up the jumping area->work on the sensitivity of the sensors
• Fix the bugs with lives

Concept

Choosing to take Intro to IM as my first coding experience was akin to taking a giant leap for me. Yet I am surprised how bit by bit this class cleared so many concepts and provided me with the hands-on experience I needed in coding platforms. For my final project, as promised and discussed in previous posts, I tried to create a painting/drawing platform by connecting P5js to Arduino. Interactive Media in itself is a form of creative expression and I wanted this project to be a platform for a digital form of artistic expression. This attempt at coding as etch-a-sketch is an ode to that childish playfulness that often gets subdued as we grow up.

Arduino setup-

Revised console-setup-

Implementation

The project mainly includes two potentiometers and a switch. The values sent from the first potentiometer map the vertical movement of the ellipse that is drawn based on its R-value (RGB color). It moves the ellipse up and down. Similarly, the movement of the second potentiometer maps the horizontal value of the ellipse and makes it go left and right. The way in which the first potentiometer controls the r-value, the second potentiometer also adjusts the alpha value of the ellipse that is drawn. when both the potentiometers are moved together, the user is able to draw curved lines as well. The third main component is the switch which when pressed clears the canvas for a new sketch to be drawn.

The p5.js component is crucial to the functioning of the program since it handles everything from sending data to the Arduino to displaying the design that is drawn in the most effective way. Three functions are primarily added in the p5js code. They include draw, readSerial, and frame. The draw function is where the ellipse is drawn and moved along the canvas. The readSerial function establishes the serial connection between the Arduino port and the p5js sketch when the space bar is pressed by the user within the canvas based on bilateral handshaking. After pressing the space bar, the port selection dialog box pop-ups from which the suitable port is selected. A global variable called the “buttonState” is defined at the beginning of the code that clears the canvas every time the digital switch is pressed or in other words when its state changes from 0 to 1.

Finally, the frame function deals with the aesthetics of the project. It draws the authentic etch-a-sketch style background to make the screen look more inviting. I have also looped a whimsical song that plays in the background every time the serial connection is established and as long as the program is running.

The Arduino side mainly executes the commands that are sent by the p5js sketch. The analog sensors (potentiometers) are read and then their values are printed similarly through the addition of a local variable within the loop function, the digital values being sent from the switch are read. The pin mode has been added in the setup as the input. The other digital and analog values are added and read in the loop function.

Arduino Code

// Inputs:
// - A0 - first potentiomemter 
// - A1 - second potentiomemter
// - 2  - switch 


void setup() {
  // Serial communication is started to send the data
  Serial.begin(9600);

   pinMode(2, INPUT); 


  // bidirectional communication starts
  while (Serial.available() <= 0) {
    Serial.println("0,0"); // send a starting message
  }
}

void loop() {
  // waits to receive data from p5js first and then starts executing
  while (Serial.available()) {

    int left = Serial.parseInt();
    int right = Serial.parseInt();
    if (Serial.read() == '\n') {
      int sensor = analogRead(A0);
      delay(5);
      int sensor2 = analogRead(A1);
      delay(5);
      int button = digitalRead(2);
      delay (5);

      Serial.print(sensor);
      Serial.print(',');
      Serial.print(sensor2);
      Serial.print(',');
      Serial.println(button);
    }
  }
}

P5js sketch and Code

Components I am Proud of

Overall, I am quite pleased with my humble outcome as it performs its bilateral communication functions quite smoothly. I am particularly proud of how the addition of mapping the alpha values of the ellipses that are being drawn on the screen gives a special “sketchy” effect to the project. Moreover, as we toggle the speed of the potentiometers the density of the stroke changes which is quite similar to the manner in which strokes that are drawn by a sketch pen change with varying pressure.

A few Sketches and user interaction-

Blind Contouring a portrait-

Plotting the map of India-

User interaction-

 

Future Improvements

I would have loved to add another switch in the project that allowed the user to change the color of the stroke from black to another color. But through my best possible attempts in the given time frame, I was able to add a switch that changes the color of the stroke when it is being continuously pressed. This beat its practical purpose though since the user would have to use both of his hands to toggle the potentiometers and at the same time keep pressing the switch.

So, here it is! After fixing hundreds of errors and spending countless man hours, we finally have our project– DJ Falcon!

DJ Falcon:

Using Arduino and p5js, we created DJ Falcon, an audio mixer set that modifies tracks and makes everyone jam to the tunes. The mixer also has a visualizer whose waves sync with the audio being played.

The user is welcomed with this screen:

You can then choose a song from the list to mix:

Then you rotate the knobs on the mixer to shake things up!

The Process:

There are two parts to this code – the p5js part and the Arduino part.

Components Used:

Arduino UNO board

Breadboard

Rotary Potentiometers (2)

Push down Switch (1)

Resistors

Jumper Wires

Apps and Online Services:

 Arduino IDE  p5js

The Process:

We started the project by drawing out everything first in a notebook. Here’s the very first (very rough) sketch of our idea:

I decided to work on the interface for the mixer and took care of the code and fixing the issues that came up, while QM was going to put together the circuit and the hardware. After setting up the basic circuit on the breadboard and building a very basic interface with buttons on p5js, we had to connect the both.

We then incorporated the p5js sound library in our p5 code. We used the built in reverb, delay, frequency functions and tested those out together by uploading an mp3 file on p5js. It was all working fine. We had to then figure out how to take values from the potentiometer, map them, and use them as arguments for the sound functions.

But before that, we had to write code for reading the values from the pin. QM got to writing the code for the Arduino IDE while Daniel got to figuring out how to take those inputs in p5js. This is where we hit our first roadblock. We just could not figure out the correct p5js library for serial communication and also couldn’t figure out how to separate the values we got from the potentiometer and store them in variables. With a little help from Professor Ang, we finally figured out the right library and used a list to store our values from where we used split() and trim() function to separate the values from each input. This is the bit of code that helped us do it:

function serialEvent() {
if (serial.available() > 0) {
serialData = serial.readLine();
if (serialData) {
// false if serialData == null
console.log(serialData);
serialData = trim(serialData); // remove trailing whitespace
serialValues = split(serialData, ","); // split the string to array
console.log("serialValues ", serialValues);
rev_value = Number(serialValues[0]);
console.log("Rev: " + rev_value);
rate_value = Number(serialValues[1]);
console.log("Rate: " + rate_value);
play_value = Number(serialValues[2]);
console.log("Play/pause: " + play_value);
standby_value = Number(serialValues[3]);
console.log("Standby: " + standby_value);
rev_mapped = map(rev_value, 0, 1023, 0, 100);
rate_mapped = map(rate_value, 0, 1023, 0, 200);
console.log("rev mapped: " + rev_mapped);
console.log("rate mapped: " + rate_mapped);
}
}
}

It’s also worth mentioning that some of the code for the serial connection were reusable code snippets written by Professor Sherwood and Ang from class examples.

This is how our board looked:

Once we connected the Arduino board and had the serial connection going, it was now time to map the values to fit into the arguments. I had a pretty solid grip on the ranges for the different music functions like the dryness and wetness of reverb, due to being a music major, and had a good understanding of how our random values would translate to what we hear (QM also ended up learning a fair bit about music at this point from Daniel).

But even then, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Although we had an understanding of the values, p5 was playing its sly tricks with us with the inner working (or should I say, inner loopings!) of the draw() function causing a haphazard in the music where multiple tracks were playing by overlapping each other and it sounded more like a cacophony than a vibey night at a club.

One evening, after working for more than 5 hours continuously trying to solve these, we decided to call it a night and come back the next day.

Maybe sleeping on the bugs helped, because the next day, after the both of us worked simultaneously on our own laptops trying to fix the bugs, QM had a slight hint of a breakthrough when one of the buttons successfully paused the music without looping. Still it wouldn’t make it play again.

But then…(drumrolls) a moment of genius from Daniel and some tweaking of the code and suddenly everything worked! Words fail to describe how victorious we felt at that moment:

Now it was time to put everything together. QM, with a noob-level experience in soldering decided to solder the board together and Daniel would give a finishing touch to the interface, incorporating a dope background, cool fonts and a cleaner look. Here’s some of that scrappy soldering work:

And here’s Daniel’s work on the interface:

We were both happy with the font and the look of the mixer and the DJ Falcon mixer was ready.

The Schematic:

Code: Arduino IDE

const int switchPin1 = 2;
const int switchPin2 = 3;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(switchPin1, INPUT); // initialize serial communications
pinMode(switchPin2, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
// read the input pin:
int pot = analogRead(A0);
int mappedPot = map(pot, 0, 1023, 0, 255);
Serial.print(pot);
Serial.print(",");
int potRev = analogRead(A1);
int mappedtest = map(potRev, 0, 1023, 0, 255);
Serial.print(potRev);
Serial.print(",");
int button1 = digitalRead(switchPin1);
int button2 = digitalRead(switchPin2);
Serial.print(button1);
Serial.print(",");
Serial.println(button2);
delay(1);
delay(100);
}

Code for p5js:

Improvements:

We had more ambitious ideas in mind like using the delay() feature and a standby button but those were causing bugs due to the draw() function of p5js, but we’re sure these can be implemented in the future.

So, here it is! After fixing hundreds of errors and spending countless man hours, we finally have our project– DJ Falcon!

DJ Falcon:

Using Arduino and p5js, we created DJ Falcon, an audio mixer set that modifies tracks and makes everyone jam to the tunes. The mixer also has a visualizer whose waves sync with the audio being played.

The user is welcomed with this screen:

You can then choose a song from the list to mix:

Then you rotate the knobs on the mixer to shake things up!

The Process:

There are two parts to this code – the p5js part and the Arduino part.

Components Used:

      Arduino UNO board

      Breadboard

      Rotary Potentiometers (2)

      Push down Switch (1)

     Resistors

      Jumper Wires

Apps and Online Services:

       Arduino IDE

        p5js

 

The Process:

We started the project by drawing out everything first in a notebook. Here’s the very first (very rough) sketch of our idea:

Daniel decided to work on the interface for the mixer while QM was going to put together the circuit and the hardware. After setting up the basic circuit on the breadboard and building a very basic interface with buttons on p5js, we had to connect the both.

We then incorporated the p5js sound library in our p5 code. We used the built in reverb, delay, frequency functions and tested those out together by uploading an mp3 file on p5js. It was all working fine. We had to then figure out how to take values from the potentiometer, map them, and use them as arguments for the sound functions.

But before that, we had to write code for reading the values from the pin. QM got to writing the code for the Arduino IDE while Daniel got to figuring out how to take those inputs in p5js. This is where we hit our first roadblock. We just could not figure out the correct p5js library for serial communication and also couldn’t figure out how to separate the values we got from the potentiometer and store them in variables. With a little help from Professor Ang, we finally figured out the right library and used a list to store our values from where we used split() and trim() function to separate the values from each input. This is the bit of code that helped us do it:

function serialEvent() {
  if (serial.available() > 0) {
    serialData = serial.readLine();
    if (serialData) {
      // false if serialData == null
      console.log(serialData);

      serialData = trim(serialData); // remove trailing whitespace
      serialValues = split(serialData, ","); // split the string to array
      console.log("serialValues ", serialValues);

      rev_value = Number(serialValues[0]);
      console.log("Rev: " + rev_value);

      rate_value = Number(serialValues[1]);
      console.log("Rate: " + rate_value);

      play_value = Number(serialValues[2]);
      console.log("Play/pause: " + play_value);

      standby_value = Number(serialValues[3]);
      console.log("Standby: " + standby_value);

      rev_mapped = map(rev_value, 0, 1023, 0, 100);
      rate_mapped = map(rate_value, 0, 1023, 0, 200);

      console.log("rev mapped: " + rev_mapped);
      console.log("rate mapped: " + rate_mapped);
    }
  }
}

It’s also worth mentioning that some of the code for the serial connection were reusable code snippets written by Professor Sherwood and Ang from class examples.

This is how our board looked:

Once we connected the Arduino board and had the serial connection going, it was now time to map the values to fit into the arguments. Daniel, being a Music major, had a pretty solid grip on the ranges for the different music functions like the dryness and wetness of reverb and had a good understanding of how our random values would translate to what we hear (QM also ended up learning a fair bit about music at this point from Daniel).

But even then, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Although we had an understanding of the values, p5 was playing its sly tricks with us with the inner working (or should I say, inner loopings!) of the draw() function causing a haphazard in the music where multiple tracks were playing by overlapping each other and it sounded more like a cacophony than a vibey night at a club.

One evening, after working for more than 5 hours continuously trying to solve these, we decided to call it a night and come back the next day.

Maybe sleeping on the bugs helped, because the next day, after the both of us worked simultaneously on our own laptops trying to fix the bugs, QM had a slight hint of a breakthrough when one of the buttons successfully paused the music without looping. Still it wouldn’t make it play again.

But then…(drumrolls) a moment of genius from Daniel and some tweaking of the code and suddenly everything worked! Words fail to describe how victorious we felt at that moment:

Now it was time to put everything together. QM, with a noob-level experience in soldering decided to solder the board together and Daniel would give a finishing touch to the interface, incorporating a dope background, cool fonts and a cleaner look. Here’s some of that scrappy soldering work:

And here’s Daniel’s work on the interface:

We were both happy with the font and the look of the mixer and the DJ Falcon mixer was ready.

The Schematic:

Code: Arduino IDE

const int switchPin1 = 2;
const int switchPin2 = 3;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(switchPin1, INPUT); // initialize serial communications
  pinMode(switchPin2, INPUT);
}
 
void loop() {
  // read the input pin:
  int pot = analogRead(A0); 
  int mappedPot = map(pot, 0, 1023, 0, 255);
  Serial.print(pot);
  Serial.print(",");

  int potRev = analogRead(A1);
  int mappedtest = map(potRev, 0, 1023, 0, 255); 
  Serial.print(potRev);
  Serial.print(",");

  int button1 = digitalRead(switchPin1);
  int button2 = digitalRead(switchPin2);
  Serial.print(button1);
  Serial.print(",");
  Serial.println(button2);

  delay(1);


  delay(100);                                            
}

Code for p5js:

Improvements:

We had more ambitious ideas in mind like using the delay() feature and a standby button but those were causing bugs due to the draw() function of p5js, but we’re sure these can be implemented in the future.

 

Project Overview:

The three of us collectively decided to make something similar to an arcade machine as it was a very exciting part of our childhoods. Therefore, the project is a collection of three games that are designed to be played using an Arduino controller. The games include Flappy Bird, a popular mobile game in which the player controls a bird and navigates through obstacles; Racing Game, in which the player controls a race car and avoids colliding with the randomly generated cars as the race car overtakes them; and Space Invaders, a classic arcade game in which the player controls a spaceship and fights against invading aliens.

Arduino to P5js communication:

int button = 2;
int pot = A0;
int lastPotValue;
int lastbutton;
 
long previousmill = 0;
long timebutton = 500;
 
void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(button, INPUT_PULLUP);
  pinMode(pot, INPUT);
}
 
int getpot(){
  int potValue = analogRead(pot)/255  ;
  int temp;
  if(potValue == 2 || potValue == 1){
    temp = 1;
  }else if(potValue == 3 || potValue == 4){
    temp = 2;
  }else{
    temp = 0;
  }
  return temp;
}
 
void loop() {
  int potValue = getpot();
  int buttonState = !digitalRead(button);
  long currentmill = millis();
 
  Serial.println(String(buttonState) + "," + String(potValue));
  
  if(buttonState == 1 && currentmill - previousmill >= timebutton){
    previousmill = currentmill;
   
 
    lastbutton = buttonState;
  }
}

We implemented this using the web serial. Here is how it briefly works: 

1.       The user connects an Arduino board to their computer using a USB cable. 
2.       The user writes and uploads a sketch (see above for the code) to the Arduino board that defines the behavior of the board and the data that it will send to the computer. 
3.     The user opens a P5.js sketch in their web browser and includes the p5.webserial.js library in their code. 
4.       The user adds event listeners to their P5.js sketch that will be called when the user connects or disconnects from the Arduino board, when the Arduino board is ready to be connected to, when there is an error communicating with the Arduino board, or when data is received from the Arduino board. 
5.       The user calls the getPorts() method of the p5.WebSerial object to check for any available Arduino boards. If an Arduino board is available, the portavailable event listener is called, which can be used to open a connection to the Arduino board. 
6.       Once the connection to the Arduino board is established, the user can send data to the Arduino board using the send() method of the p5.WebSerial object. The user can also receive data from the Arduino board using the data event listener, which is called whenever data is received from the Arduino board. 
7.       The user can use the received data from the Arduino board to control the behavior and appearance of their P5.js sketch. The user can also send data from the P5.js sketch to the Arduino board to control the behavior of the Arduino board. 
8.       When the user is finished using the Arduino board, they can close the connection to the board using the close() method of the p5.WebSerial object.

Flappy Bird:

Code:

function restart(){
  menu = 0;
  bird = new Bird(WIDTH / 2, HEIGHT / 2, 30);
  pipes = new Pipes(60, 200, 130);
  SCORE = 0;
  SCROLL_SPEED = 4;
  lives = 5;
}

function getRndInteger(min, max) {
  // https://www.w3schools.com/js/js_random.asp
  return Math.floor(Math.random() * (max - min)) + min;
}


function StartGame(){
  background(bg);
  fill("#7cfc00");
  rect(0, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT, WIDTH, HEIGHT);

  bird.draw();
  bird.update();
  bird.checkDeath(pipes);
  
  pipes.update();
  pipes.drawPipes();

  fill(255);
  textSize(60);
  textAlign(CENTER);
  text(SCORE, WIDTH / 9, HEIGHT / 7);
  textSize(30);
  text("lives: "+lives,WIDTH - WIDTH / 4, HEIGHT / 9);
  textAlign(CORNER);
}


class Bird {
  constructor(x, y, size) {
    this.x = x;
    this.y = y;
    this.size = size;
    this.vely = 0;
  }

  draw() {
    //fill("#eaff00");
    //circle(this.x+112.5, this.y-112.5, this.size);
    image(b,this.x-this.size, this.y-this.size,this.size, this.size);
    //image("cow.jpg",this.x, this,y);
  }

  update() {
    this.y += this.vely;
    this.vely = lerp(this.vely, GRAVITY, 0.05);
    this.y = Math.max(this.size / 2, Math.min(this.y, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT - this.size / 2));
  }

  flap() {
    this.vely = -JUMP_HEIGHT;
    jump.play();
  }

  checkDeath(pipes) {
    for (var pipe of pipes.pipes_list) {
      if (this.x + this.size / 2 > pipe.x && pipe.height && this.x - this.size / 2 < pipe.x + pipes.width) {
        if (this.y - this.size / 2 <= pipe.height || this.y + this.size / 2 >= pipe.height + pipes.gap) {          
          // window.location.reload();
          lives--;
          oof.play();
          if(lives === 0){
              // losing1.play();
              // restart(); 
              // break;
            window.location.reload();
          }
          pipes.pipes_list.splice(pipes.pipes_list.indexOf(pipe),1);
          pipes.retq();
          
        }
      }
      if (this.x - this.size / 2 > pipe.x + pipes.width && pipe.scored == false) {
        SCORE += 1;
        pipe.scored = true;
      }
    }
  }
}


class Pipes {
  constructor(width, frequency, gap) {
    this.width = width;
    this.frequency = frequency;
    this.gap = gap;

    this.pipes_list = [
      { x: 500, height: getRndInteger(this.gap, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT - this.gap), scored: false },
      { x: 500 + this.width + this.frequency, height: getRndInteger(this.gap, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT - this.gap), scored: false }
    ];
  }

  update() {   
    for (var pipe of this.pipes_list) {
      pipe.x -= SCROLL_SPEED;
      if (pipe.x + this.width <= 0) {
        pipe.x = WIDTH;
        pipe.height = getRndInteger(this.gap, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT - this.gap - this.gap);
        pipe.scored = false;
      }
    }
  }
  
  retq(){
    this.pipes_list = [
      { x: 500, height: getRndInteger(this.gap, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT - this.gap), scored: false },
      { x: 500 + this.width + this.frequency, height: getRndInteger(this.gap, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT - this.gap), scored: false }
    ];
  
  }

  drawPipes() {
    fill((0),(150),(0));
    for (var pipe of this.pipes_list) {
      rect(pipe.x, 0, this.width, pipe.height);
      rect(pipe.x, HEIGHT - GROUND_HEIGHT, this.width, -HEIGHT + pipe.height + GROUND_HEIGHT + this.gap);
    }
  }

}

The getRndInteger() function is a helper function that returns a random integer between two given values. This function is used to randomly generate the heights of the pipes in the game. The Bird and Pipes classes define the objects that appear in the game. The Bird class has a draw() method that is used to draw the bird on the screen, an update() method that is used to update the bird’s position and velocity, a flap() method that causes the bird to jump upwards, and a checkDeath() method that checks if the bird has collided with any of the pipes and ends the game if necessary. The Pipes class has an update() method that updates the positions of the pipes and a drawPipes() method that draws the pipes on the screen. Overall, the code defines a simple game in which the player controls a bird and must avoid colliding with pipes by jumping over them. The game keeps track of the player’s score and ends if the bird hits a pipe. 

Racing Game:

The generateCars() function is used to randomly generate cars that appear on the screen and the displayCars() function is used to draw the cars on the screen. The displayScore() function is used to display the player’s current score on the screen. The potentiometer returns three readings: 0,1, and 2 based on the positioning. Based on the number being returned by the potentiometer – we handle the car movement. 

Space Invaders:

function startPage(){
  textSize(27);
  fill(250);
  text("Space invador",27,250);
  textSize(15);
  text("press enter to start",52,290);
}

function removeRocks(){
  rocks.splice(0,rocks.length);
  rocksctr = 0;
}



function displaybullets(){
    for(let i = 0; i < bullets.length; i++){
      bullets[i].display();
      
      if(bullets[i].y < 0){
        bullets.splice(i,1);
        numBullets--;
      }
      
    }
  // console.log(numBullets);
}

function generaterocks(){
  let rand = int(random(0, 100));
  let rand2 = int(random(0, 100));
  if(rand % 7 == 0){
    if(rand2 % 3 == 0){
      if(rand2 % 2 == 0 && rand % 2 == 0){
          rocks[rocksctr] = new boulders();
          rocks[rocksctr].display();
          // console.log(rocksctr);
          rocksctr++;
        }
     }
  }
}

function displayrocks(){
  for(let i = 0; i < rocks.length; i++){
    rocks[i].display();
    // console.log(">",rocks.length);
    
    let temp = false;
    for(let j = 0; j < bullets.length; j++){
      if(bullets[j].didcollide(rocks[i])){
        temp = true;
        bullets.splice(i,1);
        numBullets--;
      }
    }
    
    if(mainship.didcollide(rocks[i])){
      rocks.splice(i,1);
      rocksctr--;
      gamestatus = "end";
      bomb.play();
      losing1.play();
      
    }else if(rocks[i].y > height || temp){
      rocks.splice(i,1);
      rocksctr--;
    }
  }
}
 var timechecker = 0.5;

function makebullet(x,y){
  bullets[numBullets] = new bulletClass(x,y);
  bullets[numBullets].display();
  numBullets++;
} 

Game Controls

Flappy Bird: Use the button on the arduino or the UP key to jump.

Racing Game: Use the potentiometer or left and right keys to control the car’s steering.

Space Invaders: Use the potentiometers or left and right keys to control the spaceship’s movement and button or UP key to fire lasers.

 

Conclusion 

This project demonstrates how to create and play games using p5.js and Arduino. The project includes three games that can be controlled using potentiometers and push buttons, and can be easily extended to include additional games and custom controller designs. We’re particularly proud of the aesthetics of the games – we were able to recreate what we initally had in mind. Furthermore, we had a lot of bugs which wouldn’t let the games run smoothly. We figured out how to implement the games smoothly by making changes in our algorithms and by handling specific types of errors which were mostly given by the arduino board. However, there is no proper restart function for flappy bird – if you lose, the canvas simply starts from scratch.

My contribution to the project was coding the flappy bird game, handling errors, debugging, and the documentation.  

ORIGINAL CONCEPT

Our original idea was to create a set of friendship touch-lamps, where two lamps would be able to “communicate” with each other with the tap of a finger. Using p5 as our “remote controller”, each party would be able to choose the settings of the light they would like to send, ie. the color and the light patten. We wanted to include wireless communication in our project to stick with the vision that any two users, regardless of time, location, and proximity, would be able to communicate with that special someone through something that was visually compelling, and that the simple act of  sending lights to one another might foster some other type of communication.

IMPLEMENTATION

We believe that we stuck relatively closely to our original proposal, except that due to time and challenges with serial communication, we were not able to achieve this dual communication between two Arduino devices. Hence, although we were not able to achieve interaction from user to user, we were able to achieve interaction between user, lamp, and computer.

The conversation begins with the user interacting with p5. As mentioned above, our p5.js sketch acts as the “controller” of the lamp, providing animations and small game elements that make the programming more interesting. For example, in the second scene of the sketch, the user sees a heart flashing different colors in the center of the screen and is instructed to press the keyboard when the heart flickers to a color of their liking:

Additionally, in the following screen, the sketch displays 3 different light modes to choose from: flicker, wave, and pulse. above those 3 buttons is a corresponding icon that animates that is made to mimic the specific light mode:

Throughout the p5 program, data about the user’s choices are held in three important variables: picker.color, lightMode, and inData. picker.color is an instance variable of the colorPicker class, which was coded to build the flashing heart described above. It is initially set to a null value and is set once the user presses any key to choose their color. Similarly, lightMode is a variable made to hold an integer of 0, 1, or 2 which correspond to flicker, wave, and pulse respectfully. Initially set to a null value, it becomes set when the user presses the flicker, wave, or pulse button in the screen described above. We chose to have lightMode hold an integer, though it is more confusing the the reader, makes it easier to send it as serial data. The inData variable contains the data sent from Arduino through the serial.read() function, and sends a 0 or 1, depending on whether the touch sensor on the lamp has been touched or not touched. This code from Arduino is shown below:

touched = digitalRead(TOUCH_SENSOR); 
  if ((touched == 1) && (sensorState == LOW)) { 
    sensorState = HIGH;
    Serial.write(sensorState); 
  } 

  if ((touched == 0) && (sensorState == HIGH)) { 
    sensorState = LOW;
}

Finally, the conversation shifts between user-computer to user-lamp in the last screen of the p5 program (shown below), where it asks the user to touch the lamp in order to let p5.js know that it is “ready” to send the data to Arduino — “ready” meaning that inData is 1, the lightMode has been set, and picker.color has been set. The code that sends the serial data is also shown below:

if (inData == 1) { 
  // console.log('the color you chose:', colorValue); 
  // console.log('the light mode you chose:', lightMode);
  console.log(inData); 
  let r = red(picker.color); 
  let g = green(picker.color); 
  let b = blue(picker.color);
  
  
  let sendToArduino = r + "," + g + "," + b + "," + lightMode + "\n";
  serial.write(sendToArduino);

Once the data is sent, the “control” of the entire system is handed over to our Arduino code, which is the code that actually displays the lights, completing the final part of the user-lamp conversation. First, after reading the data from p5, it parses the data and organizes it into variables that hold the red, green, and blue color values, as well as the light mode, similar to how it is organized in p5:

while(Serial.available()){
  sensorState = LOW; 
  R = Serial.parseInt();
  G = Serial.parseInt();
  B = Serial.parseInt();
  //lightMode = Serial.read();
  lightMode = Serial.parseInt();

  if(Serial.read() == '\n'){
    Serial.write(0);
  }
}

Then, it uses those variables to create the different light modes (described in more detail in the previous posts):

  if (lightMode == 2){
  // WAVY
  //turn pixels to green one by one with delay between each pixel
  for (int pixel = 0; pixel < NUM_PIXELS; pixel++) { // for each pixel
    NeoPixel.setPixelColor(pixel, NeoPixel.Color(R, G, B)); // it only takes effect if pixels.show() is called
  
    NeoPixel.show();   // send the updated pixel colors to the NeoPixel hardware.
    NeoPixel.clear();
    
    delay(100); // pause between each pixel
  }

  // turn off all pixels for two seconds
  NeoPixel.clear();
  NeoPixel.show(); // send the updated pixel colors to the NeoPixel hardware.
  delay(10);     // off time
}

if (lightMode == 1) { 
// FLICKERING:
  //turn on all pixels to red at the same time for two seconds
  for (int pixel = 0; pixel < NUM_PIXELS; pixel++) { // for each pixel
    NeoPixel.setPixelColor(pixel, NeoPixel.Color(R, G, B)); // it only takes effect if pixels.show() is called
  }
  NeoPixel.show(); // send the updated pixel colors to the NeoPixel hardware.th
  delay(1000);     // on time

  // turn off all pixels for two secondse
  NeoPixel.clear();
  NeoPixel.show(); // send the updated pixel colors to the NeoPixel hardware.
  delay(500);     // off time
}

if (lightMode == 3){
  //PULSING   
  uint16_t j;

  for (j = 0; j < 255; j++) {
    for (int pixel= 0; pixel < NUM_PIXELS; pixel++) {
      NeoPixel.setPixelColor(pixel, R, G, B);
      NeoPixel.setBrightness(j); 
    }
    NeoPixel.show();
    delay(20);
  }

  for (j = 255; j > 0; j--) {
    for (int pixel = 0; pixel < NUM_PIXELS; pixel++) {
      NeoPixel.setPixelColor(pixel, R, G, B);
      NeoPixel.setBrightness(j); 
      }
    NeoPixel.show();
    delay(20);
    Serial.println(j);
    }
  delay(100);
  //make sure to set all pixels back to full brightness for the other modes 
   for (int pixel = 0; pixel < NUM_PIXELS; pixel++) { 
    NeoPixel.setBrightness(255); 
  }
}

Note that once the lights are displayed, the data being written out to p5 is that the lamp is not-touched and is ready for the next round of data to be collected from p5. The user has the option to stop there, or can repeat the “cycle” as many times they wish by clicking the “send another” button in p5.

WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF

Something we like about our system that we think enhances the experience is the attention to detail and aesthetic of the p5 sketch. We chose the name “Distance makes the Heart and Glow Fonder” because it is not only a cute play on words, but also keeps with our neon theme. We also wanted all of our text and images to have flickering effect and a glowing effect (reference:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIWH3IUYHzM) to mimic real life neon signs and lights. Also, we felt that adding animations to the screen that shows the light modes not only made it more visually compelling but more intuitive for the user, given that the instructions of the program are minimal.

Though none of us have much experience with building, we wanted to push ourselves beyond the Arduino board we were given and try our best to make a lamp that didn’t look so obviously “Arduino”. Overall we are very happy with how it turned out, considering the time and resources we had. Everything we used to build it was made out of scrap materials found in the lab, and each part of the lamp is detachable by velcro, making it extremely easy to access the wiring and adjust things if needed.

FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

In terms of the physical lamp, it would be nice to completely cover the wiring at the bottom with more acrylic panels. Perhaps remaking it using a different glue will also help get rid of the fogging happening on the current model.

In terms of our code, we would like to carry out our initial vision and create two lamps that can communicate with each other, and perhaps even have them communicate wirelessly.

DEMO

Below are some demo videos of our project:

Contribution to the project:

– I spent time working on the serial communication used to transmit messages from p5js to the Arduino.

– I spent time working on the Arduino code in implementing the various modes of light of the lamp.

– Worked together in constructing the lamp

– Worked together to document and compile the blog posts

– Worked together on bugs and last minute challenges

My goal is to use AI to control an arduino robot. By using a machine learning module called handsfree.js, I was able to make the bot move.

The handsfree.js machine learning module identifies two hands through a video feed. It can also predict the position and motion of the fingers and thumb. Using the position of the hands, I implemented several postures that present forward, backward, left and right. Pinching your right and left index fingers with the thumb also increases and reduces the speed of the wheels.

The movements are implemented on an imaginary four quadrant grid. Taking the cartesian plane as an example, to move the robot forward your right hand has to be in the first quadrant and your left hand in the third quadrant. For backward motion your left hand should be in the second quadrant and your right hand in the fourth quadrant. left movement, both hands should be in the left half of the plane and same for right movement.

Take the right hand as colored yellow and left hand as colored green. Then the movements are illustrated below:

Forward:

Backward:

Left:

Right:

User testing video demo:

Screen demo and hand gestures:

 

The project name is MetaDrive and the idea is to create an arduino robot which is controlled by AI in p5js.

The arduino robot these components:

• • 4 DC motors
  • 1 ultrasonic sensor
  • 1 buzzer
  • 2 LEDs

The AI is a machine learning module that tracks hand movements and poses. The module is called handsfree.js and it was developed in javascript.

How the robot looks now:

Concept

We (Samyam and Tim) designed a physical device that lets a user draw a sketch of their choice on p5.js and replicate it physically using a polar coordinate pen (plotter). In essence, the user can interact and control the device using a sketch as simple as an Archimedean spiral or as complex as a zine design of an engineering creation. It boils down to the user’s choice. Besides, the interconnectivity of the sketch, inspired by the Eulerian trial, adds to the artistic element of the system.

The project was primarily divided into four sections:

1. Hardware and System Design
2. p5.js Development
3. Arduino Development
4. Implementation and interaction between components

Hardware/ Device Design

The system comprises of a bunch of mechanical components and electrical motors that complement the functionality of the device. The device is based on a 2-DOF system in which the plotter moves to and fro on a linear rail, while the bottom plate follows the rotational motion orthogonal to the linear rail. The movement of the base plate facilitates a variety of designs, thus allowing the user to sketch any form of drawing.

First, the 3D model of the device was completed using Autodesk Fusion 360 – afterward, the components were either laser cut or 3D printed. We laser cut the rack and pinion as well as the legs of the device, while the spacer between the laser-cut components, rotating base plate and the plotter holding components were 3D printed. In addition, we have purchased a linear guide rail, step motors and stepper-motor-driver board for precision drawing. Then, all of the components, including servo motors, were assembled to complete the physical design.

The motors and the driver boards are connected to the Arduino board, which is connected to p5.js to allow the transmission of user input into the physical system.

p5.js Coding

All the p5.js coding files are divided into two main JavaScript files:

1. sketch.js: Contains the majority of the algorithm
2. keyboard_keys.js: Contains the functions to track cursor movement

In addition, there is one “p5.web-serial.js” file that contains web serial functions adapted from the public web-serial library (Link).

The majority of the device’s software design depends on the p5.js component — from storing user input to transmitting data to the Arduino in the most efficient format.

At first, the user sketches a drawing using a mouse, a trackpad or a smart stylus. The interconnectivity of the design allows the user to connect all the components of the sketch. A simple if-conditional ensures that the sketch is being drawn, thus storing cartesian coordinates of the sketch only when the different points are registered; in return, this improves the efficiency of the system together as well as restricts the possibility of redundancy and system overloading. This functionality is further dependent on manually created functions like “mousePressed()” and “mouseReleased()” that alter a boolean “isClicked” based on the status of the drawing.

Here, we have moved the origin to the center of the canvas to replicate real-life situations. All the cartesian coordinates are then stored in an array titled “Positions[]” in a vector format. Since the physical platform is based on polar coordinates, all the coordinates need to be converted to the said format. Thus, a separate function named “cartToPolar()” is written that takes cartesian x and y coordinates as arguments and returns a list containing two equivalent attributes – radius and the angle of inclination.

function cartToPolar(x, y) {
  let radius, angle;
  let old_angle;
  let curr_angle;

  radius = sqrt(sq(x) + sq(y));

  angle = atan(abs(y) / abs(x));

  if (x >= 0 && y >= 0) {
    angle = angle;
    firstQuad = true;

    if (fourthQuad) {
      fullRotationNum++;
      fourthQuad = false;
    }

  } else if (x <= 0 && y >= 0) {
    angle = 180 - angle;
  } else if (x <= 0 && y <= 0) {
    angle = 180 + angle;
  } else if (x >= 0 && y <= 0) {
    angle = 360 - angle;
    fourthQuad = true;

    if (firstQuad) {
      fullRotationNum--;
      firstQuad = false;
    }
  }
  
  angle += fullRotationNum * 360;
  
  if(firstAngle){
    firstAngle = false;
    tempAngle = angle;
  }else{
    if(tempAngle - angle > 180){
      fullRotationNum++;
      angle += 360;
    }if(tempAngle - angle < -180){
      fullRotationNum--;
      angle -= 360;
    }
    tempAngle = angle;
  }

  let temp_list = [];
  temp_list[0] = map(radius, 0, sqrt(2 * sq(width / 2)), 0, disc_radius); // Mapped radius
  temp_list[1] = angle;

  return temp_list;
}

Here, we can see that the function receives x and y coordinates as arguments. Immediately after that, the radius is computed using a simple mathematical formula (d = (x^2 + y^2)^(0.5)), while the absolute value of the radius is determined using trigonometric relations. In order to compute the exact value of the angle, the quadrant of the coordinates is determined using a couple of if-statements and the absolute value computed above is modified. The process of altering the angle’s value is special in the first and the fourth quadrant. In the case of the first quadrant, a boolean ‘firstQuad’ is set to true and a variable ‘fullRotationNum’ is incremented that controls the rotation of the step motor fixed on the bottom plate. Similarly, in the case of the fourth quadrant, the boolean ‘fourthQuad’ is set to true and the variable ‘fullRotationNum’ is decremented. Since the rotation on a plane is calculated on a scale of 2 PI (360 degrees), this variable maintains the rotation angle without altering the motion of the step motor. Afterward, the true angle is increased based on the value of this variable.

Then the second set of if-conditionals is implemented to solve a bug in the system. Initially, without these statements, the bottom stepper motor would retract occasionally during a massive jump in the angular value, so these conditions manually compare the value of the angle with the old value stored in ‘tempAngle’ and if the jump is of a particular value, certain states of the if-conditions are executed, i.e., increasing and decreasing the value of ‘fullRotationNum’ and ‘angle’ respectively.

Finally, the radius is mapped to a scale of the maximum radius of the physical disc and the list containing two values – “mapped radius” and “modified angle” is returned to the callee function. Then, the data are transmitted to the Arduino after the user clicks the ‘SEND DATA’ button.

function button(text_, x, y, w, h) {
  // Checks if the cursor is within the button or not
  let isWithinButton =
    mouseX < x + w && mouseX > x && mouseY < y + h && mouseY > y;

  // Hover Effect
  if (isWithinButton) {
    fill(143, 148, 123);
    cursor(HAND);
  } else {
    fill("grey");
    cursor(ARROW);
  }

  // Button Setting
  stroke("black");
  strokeWeight(2);
  rect(x, y, w, h, 5);

  // Text inside the button
  textFont("Helvetica");
  stroke(5);
  textSize(25);
  fill("white");
  text(text_, x + 18, y + 32);

  // Return a boolean value
  return isWithinButton;
}

The algorithm behind the ‘SEND DATA’ button is coded manually in a function titled ‘send_data_button’. This function relies on a mother function ‘button’ that takes (1) the name of the button, (2) (3) x and y coordinates of the button and (4) (5) the height and width of the button. In order to create a hover effect, the size and color of the button are altered using if-conditions. Then, the function compares the location of the cursor with the location of the button and returns a boolean value indicating whether the cursor is inside or outside the button (true indicates inside and false indicates outside). Thus, when ‘send_data_button’ is coded, it first creates the button and then begins the data transmission process.

let first_point = false;

// Function that sends data to arduino
function send_data_button() {
  let x = canvas_w - 210;
  let y = canvas_h - 70;
  let w = 180;
  let h = 50;

  // If the cursor is within the button button() function returns 1, else 0;
  let sendBool = button("SEND DATA", x, y, w, h);

  // Sending the data if the cursor iswithin the button and mouse is clicked
  if (sendBool && mouseIsPressed && !first_point) {
    serial.write(String("H"));
    first_point = true;
    startSending = true;
    
    button_bool = true;
    print("Homing Machine...");
    
  
  }
  else
    button_bool = false;
}

The entire process of sending data to the Arduino depends on two boolean variables – “startSending” and “drawingFinished”. At the beginning of the transmission, a single character ‘H’ is transmitted to the Arduino in the form of a string. It indicates that the first coordinate is ready to be sent thus setting the variable ‘firstPoint’ to true inside the ‘send_data_button’ and displaying a message on the console that says ‘Homing Machine’, which essentially determines the position of the absolute origin or reference point of the plotter (it is completed every time a sketch has to be drawn). Then, the program continues inside the native draw() function.

let tmp = 1;
function draw() 
{
  background(203,203,205);
  myCirc();
  instruction_txt();
  
  //Buttons
  send_data_button();
  reset_button();

  // Translate the origin point to the center of the screen
  translate(width/2, height/2);
  
  
  // Restricting the sketch within the canvas
  let d_comp = pow((sq(mouseX - (width/2)) + sq(mouseY - (width/2))), 0.5);
  if (isClicked && (d_comp >= (sketch_radius/2)))
  {
    // If the cursor is outside of the circle and the button, execute this condition
    if (!button_bool)
    {
      isClicked = false;
      print("Draw within the canvas!");
    }
    
    // If the cursor is outside of the circle but within the button, exectute this condition
    else
    {
      isClicked = false;
      print("Button clicked!");
    }
    
  }
    

  // Make sure the mouse is clicked and cursor position is different
  if (isClicked && mouseX !== pmouseX && mouseX !== pmouseY) 
  {
    
    // Create a vector and add it to the list
    // let pt = createVector(mouseX, mouseY);          // When origin is at the top-left corner
    let pt = createVector(mouseX - width / 2, mouseY - height / 2);
    positions.push(pt);

    // Handle the case when x = 0
    if (pt.x == 0) pt.x = 0.01;

    // Mapping Cartesian to Polar and appending it in mappedPositions array
    let temp_list = [];
    temp_list = cartToPolar(pt.x, pt.y);
    let pt_mapped = createVector(temp_list[0] * one_px_mm, temp_list[1]);
    mappedPositions.push(pt_mapped);
    
    
    print("\nCounter: " + tmp);
    // Printing co-ordinates stored in the list(s)
    print("Cartesian: x: " + pt.x + " and y: " + pt.y);
    print("Polar:     r: " + pt_mapped.x + " and Angle: " + pt_mapped.y);
    tmp++;
  }

  // Draw Settings
  noFill();
  strokeWeight(5);
  strokeJoin(ROUND);

  // Go through the list of vectors and plot them
  beginShape();
  for (let i = 0; i < positions.length; i++) {
    let pt = positions[i];
    curveVertex(pt.x, pt.y);
  }
  endShape();

  
  
  // Data Transmission 
  if (startSending)
  // if (startSending) {
    if (inData == "0") 
    {
      let temp_var =
        str(mappedPositions[i].x) + "," + str(mappedPositions[i].y);
      let percent = int((i / mappedPositions.length) * 100);
      print("[" + percent + "% completed] " + temp_var);          // Progress on Console

      serial.write(String(temp_var));

      i += 1;
      
      
      // Check if all the points are trasmitted
      if (i == mappedPositions.length) {
        startSending = false;
        drawingFinished = true;
      }

      inData = "1";        // Reset the watch-dog variable
      
      
      if (i >= 1)
        first_point = false;
    }
  }
  
  // Change the settings after completing the drawing
  if (drawingFinished) {
    serial.write(String("E"));
    print("completed!");
    i = 0;

    startSending = false;
    drawingFinished = false;

    firstQuad = false;
    fourthQuad = false;
    fullRotationNum = 0;
  }

 

Just after plotting the points of the sketch on the p5.js canvas by looping through the cartesian list, the program checks the status of the ‘startSending’ boolean – if it is set to true and the value of value received from Arduino is ‘0’, it concatenates the radius and the angle of the point separated by a comma. This concatenated string, stored in a variable called ‘temp_var’, is sent to the Arduino (in the form of a string). This process of transmitting the entire message in the form of a string is done by calling the “String()” function of p5.js. Without this explicit call of the function, the message transmission is interrupted, thus the solution. Afterward, the status of the ‘firstPoint’ is set to false after the first coordinate has been sent. Similarly, one if-condition checks if all coordinates have been sent – when it evaluates to true, “drawingFinished” is set to true whereas “startSending” is set to false.

In addition to the functions/ methodologies described above, the program consists of a variety of serial communication functions like portConnect() and portDisconnnect() to track the physical connection between p5.js and the Arduino. At first makePortbutton() is called to create a button on the canvas that allows the user to select the wired connection. One important function is ‘serialEvent()’ function that tracks the data received from the Arduino and stores it in ‘inData’ variable. All these functions are mainly called in the setup() function and display corresponding messages on the console. Essentially, these functions facilitate the error-handling functionality of the system, thus avoiding unintended interruptions of the process.

Arduino Coding

The Arduino board is coded to control the motion of two major components in the physical system: (1) a servo motor (connected to the vertically mobile plotter) and (2) two stepper motors (connected to the linear rail and the bottom plate).

At the very beginning of the program, two libraries (AccelStepper.h and Servo.h) are loaded in the project — we will use the methods of these libraries throughout the sketching process. The system uses two stepper motors as described earlier so global variables are fixed at the beginning of the code for individual motors. Afterward, basic settings for the step motors are set up — for example, determining the MotorInterfaceType (that allows four wire connections in a half-step mode) for the step motor, creating two individual instances of stepper motor classes from the imported library (armStepper and plateStepper respectively) and creating an object of the servo class called ‘penServo’. The AccelStepper library allows us to connect multiple stepper motors with controlled acceleration and deceleration. Similarly, different global variables are instantiated that are required throughout the sketching process.

Inside the setup() function, pinModes for input and output are set up. Similarly, the maxspeed and maxAcceleration of both the stepper motors are set to 1000 steps per cycle and 200 steps per second squared respectively. Also, the name (number) of the pin attached to the servo and the control of its shaft is controlled via attach() and write() methods of the servo library.

void homeMachine(byte _servoAngle) {
  penServo.write(90);
  armStepper.setSpeed(-400);
  armStepper.runSpeed();
  if (digitalRead(limitSw) == 1) {
    armStepper.setCurrentPosition(0);
    armStepper.moveTo(0);
    armStepper.runToPosition();
    centerPen(_servoAngle);
    Serial.write(0);
  }
}

 

Inside the draw() function, the program homes the machine using a manual function titled ‘homeMachine()’ that takes ‘servo angle’ as an argument. This function sets the angle of the servo to 90 and the speed of the steppers to -400. Then it checks if the value stored in ‘limitSw’ ( variable that stores input value) is ‘1’ (when the switch is pressed), the stepper attached to the plotter (arm) moves to the origin point and a reference point is established by calling a function called ‘centerPen()’ that takes servo angle as input.

void centerPen(byte _servoAngle) {
  armStepper.moveTo((int)(25 / halfStepToMm));
  armStepper.runToPosition();
  armStepper.setCurrentPosition(0);
  armStepper.setMaxSpeed(1000);
  penServo.write(_servoAngle);

  homing = false;
}

 

In the linear rail, 0.02047 mm equals 1 step, thus using this value, the function ‘centerPen()’ moves the pen to the location of the reference point, while the value received from the argument controls the angular movement of the motor. After this function, the ‘homing’ variable is set to false marking the end of the first step.

if (Serial.available() > 0) {
    input = Serial.readString();

    if (input == "H") {
      homing = true;
      firstPoint = true;
      machineStart = true;
    } else if (input == "E") {
      homing = true;
      machineStart = false;
      firstPoint = true;
      drawing = false;ic
    }
  }

  if (machineStart && input.length() > 3) {
    coordVal[0] = input.substring(0, input.indexOf(",")).toFloat(); // r
    coordVal[1] = input.substring(input.indexOf(",") + 1, input.length()).toFloat();  //theta

    if (firstPoint) {
      penServo.write(90);
      armStepper.setCurrentPosition(0);
      plateStepper.setCurrentPosition(0);
      firstPoint = false;
      angleTemp = coordVal[1];
    } else if (drawing) {
      penServo.write(110);
    }

    if (abs(angleTemp - coordVal[1]) > 90) {
      drawing = false;
      d.write(95);
    }

    armStepper.setMaxSpeed(1000);
    plateStepper.setMaxSpeed(1000);

    armStepper.moveTo((int) (coordVal[0] / halfStepToMm));
    armStepper.run();
    plateStepper.moveTo(-1 * (int) (coordVal[1] / halfStepToDegrees));
    plateStepper.run();

    if (armStepper.distanceToGo() == 0 && plateStepper.distanceToGo() == 0) {
      angleTemp = coordVal[1];
      Serial.write(0);
      drawing = true;
      input = "";
    }
  }

The program then checks the data received from p5.js. If the value is “H”, homing, machineStart and firstpoint variables are set to true thus homing the machine before every sketch. Similarly, if the value is “E”, corresponding attributes are altered to facilitate different functionality of the device.

Based on the attributes set above and the data received from p5.js, the program proceeds. The message is sliced and ‘radius’ and ‘angle’ are stored in an array coordVal[].

If the firstPoint variable is set to true, the servo angle is set to 90 and both the stepper motors are moved to position 0 and the angular value is stored temporarily; in the case, it’s not the first point, the servo angle is set to 110. Then, the angular value stored in the temporary variable and in the arrays are compared, and the global variable ‘drawing’ is set to ‘false’ if the difference is greater than 90.

Afterward, the positions of the stepper motors are changed based on the values received from p5.js. Using the radius of the point, the plotter’s target position is set; also, the plate’s target position is set using the radius and halfStepToDegrees conversion. Then, if the distance(s) from the current position to the target position of both the stepper motors are 0 respectively, the drawing variable is set to true and a string ‘0’ is sent to p5.js. This way, the device moves based on the input from p5.js and a sketch is replicated on the device.

Communication between Arduino and p5.js

For this project, Arduino and p5.js communicate with one another in two ways – in other words, it is a bidirectional communication. At first, when the user clicks the “SEND DATA” button on the p5.js canvas, p5.js sends a character “H” in the form of a string followed by a series of strings in the format <radius, angle> (here brackets do not hold any significance). Once the first coordinate is sent, Arduino verifies its authenticity, and if it is a valid one, the stepper motors and the servo motor take a new position(s). Upon successful completion of the movement, Arduino sends back “0” as a string to p5.js. This instructs p5.js to send a second coordinate and so forth. This way, two-way communication takes place before sending a new set of coordinates.

Proud Aspects

The project has been a demanding undertaking. From designing hardware components and waiting for hours to get parts printed to designing the software that dictates the functioning of the device has been an arduous task. Despite the number of bugs faced, we were able to find our way through, and here is our final project.

During this time, the phase that required a notable amount of time was ‘cartToPolar(x, y)’ function that we manually coded. As described earlier, it transforms ordinates of individual cartesian coordinates into polar form since the machine understands polar coordinates only. Thus, this function was a no-brainer for the device to function. We initially coded the function based on our assumptions. However, as moved to the user-testing phase, we faced a few bugs that would not hinder the performance per se but rather would reduce the charm of the project. Thus, after hours and even days of debugging, we were able to finalize the project ideas. Now, this function controls the motion of the device. It takes a set of extremely raw values and transforms them into a value that the drawing platform understands. Besides, the function handles the extreme conditions of the radii values; this way, we were able to avoid situations where the program may crash. It took a massive amount of our time as well as Mathematics oriented brainstorming.

Similarly, building the whole platform was a task in itself. We were assembling parts built from different processes — laser cutting and 3D printing — thus, when the device took a shape, it was an eternal feeling. We were able to precisely determine its structure beforehand and correctly build its physical structure. It is something that we are definitely happy about.

Interaction

In this project, the user is in charge of the drawing. There is a circle on the p5.js canvas; this is where the user can draw any sketch of their choice — here we are basically converting our square canvas to a circular one to replicate the base plate of the device. Once, the drawing is completed, the user can click ‘SEND DATA’ button and wait for the drawing to complete.

Future Improvements

In this project, we were able to reduce the time the device requires to draw a sketch by half. The device consists of numerous individual elements, thus after carefully redoing software algorithms, we were able to bring down the time complexity of the physical device. That said, the device still takes some time to complete the drawing. Thus, our future priority would be to reduce the time even more so that it functions at its peak speed. This could be done by recording every single point through which the cursor passes – at present, the speed of the cursor determines the number of points recorded, so this could be solved in future iterations to reduce the noise.

Similarly, the parts are 3D printed and the components we purchased belonged to a comparatively affordable category. Thus, in future iteration(s), we would build the physical components using more expensive and reliable components, thus avoiding the noise that these components catch at present. Even though the noise is negligible, at some point, the user may notice it. Thus, our priority would be to decrease the noise using high-quality components.

Individual Contribution

Task	Person
Hardware Design & Assembly	Tim
Arduino	Tim
p5.js	Samyam
Design Implementation	Samyam
Hardware + Software Communication	Both
User Testing	Both
Blogs/ Documentation and Video	Samyam
Bugs and Final Polishing	Both
Hardware Casing	Tim

Reflection

This project took a total of more than two weeks to complete — from designing its raw structure to actually building it and integrating it with the software component. Sometimes, we were stuck on a bug for days even though the idea would work theoretically, while other times, every testing would go as planned. Nevertheless, it was an interesting project and we are glad about the way the project turned out to be.

Yay! It’s working.

Watch the user testing here:

Final Sketch:

Find the GitHub link to the project here.