1st iteration

now working on the 1st iteration of the musli. i have accepted that i will only be able to realize a 1st iteration for the 15th, but it will evolve in the remainder of April into something more technically and aesthetically complete. in fabricating the head piece I realized the opportunity to have it able to retract into itself, making it less obtrusive.  this will be realized in the next iteration. it took some time to find that comfort area when wearing the head piece and using the navigation system.  but with some testing I think I found a suitable distance.  the tweed component of the head piece is just a sample.  it will be reaplaced with parabolas made of tweed. i figured that the shape should be consistant with the other shell sections.

paper mock-up

Now that the computational component is complete the wearable element can be realized. The space in which the user occupies when wearing the garment is consuming the majority of my time.  After a few iterations and lots of paper cuts I think I have found a solution to address the internal space of the head piece and user comfort when in use.  Based on a shell structure, a series of parabolas will form the top component of the head piece. A high collar will help to isolate the user from the external environment while creating a natural vent allowing the user to breath comfortably.

It works

/*
Sonar Suit
4 Sensor set-up
3 led each (green, yellow, red)
green led = object detection far
yellow led = object detection mid
red led = object detection close
*/

int ultraSoundSignal1 = 1; // Ultrasound signal 1 pin ANALOG-1
int ultraSoundSignal2 = 2; // Ultrasound signal 2 pin ANALOG-2
int ultraSoundSignal3 = 3; // Ultrasound signal 3 pin ANALOG-3
int ultraSoundSignal4 = 4; // Ultrasound signal 4 pin ANALOG-4

int ultrasoundValue1 = 0;
int ultrasoundValue2 = 0;
int ultrasoundValue3 = 0;
int ultrasoundValue4 = 0;

int ledGreen1 = 2; // Green LED connected to DIGITAL-2
int ledYellow1 = 3; // Yellow LED connected to DIGITAL-3
int ledRed1 = 4; // Red LED connecetd to DIGITAL-4

int ledGreen2 = 5; // Green LED connected to DIGITAL-5
int ledYellow2 = 6; // Yellow LED connected to DIGITAL-6
int ledRed2 = 7; // Red LED connecetd to DIGITAL-7

int ledGreen3 = 8; // Green LED connected to DIGITAL-8
int ledYellow3 = 9; // Yellow LED connected to DIGITAL-9
int ledRed3 = 10; // Red LED connecetd to DIGITAL-10

int ledGreen4 = 11; // Green LED connected to DIGITAL-11
int ledYellow4 = 12; // Yellow LED connected to DIGITAL-12
int ledRed4 = 13; // Red LED connecetd to DIGITAL-13

int led1state = 0; // led off
int led2state = 0; //
int led3state = 0; //
int led4state = 0; //

void setup() {

pinMode(ledGreen1, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-2 pin as GREEN 1 output
pinMode(ledYellow1, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-3 pin as YELLOW 1 output
pinMode(ledRed1, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-4 pin as RED 1 output

pinMode(ledGreen2, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-5 pin as GREEN 2 output
pinMode(ledYellow2, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-6 pin as YELLOW 2 output
pinMode(ledRed2, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-7 pin as RED 2 output

pinMode(ledGreen3, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-8 pin as GREEN 3 output
pinMode(ledYellow3, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-9 pin as YELLOW 3 output
pinMode(ledRed3, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-10 pin as RED 3 output

pinMode(ledGreen4, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-11 pin as GREEN 4 output
pinMode(ledYellow4, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-12 pin as YELLOW 4 output
pinMode(ledRed4, OUTPUT); // sets the DIGITAL-13 pin as RED 4 output

pinMode(ultraSoundSignal1, INPUT); // Switch signalpin ANALOG-1 to input
pinMode(ultraSoundSignal2, INPUT); // Switch signalpin ANALOG-2 to input
pinMode(ultraSoundSignal3, INPUT); // Switch signalpin ANALOG-3 to input
pinMode(ultraSoundSignal4, INPUT); // Switch signalpin ANALOG-4 to input
}

void loop() {
ultrasoundValue1 = analogRead(ultraSoundSignal1); // Append signal value to val

if (ultrasoundValue1 < 150){
if (ultrasoundValue1 > 90){
led1state = 1; // green led
}
else
if (ultrasoundValue1 > 20){
led1state = 2; //yellow led
}
else {
led1state = 3; //red led
}

}else
led1state = 0; //no led

ultrasoundValue2 = analogRead(ultraSoundSignal2); // Append signal value to val

if (ultrasoundValue2 < 150){
if (ultrasoundValue2 > 90){
led2state = 1; // green led
}
else
if (ultrasoundValue2 > 20){
led2state = 2; //yellow led
}
else {
led2state = 3; //red led
}

}else
led2state = 0; //no led

ultrasoundValue3 = analogRead(ultraSoundSignal3); // Append signal value to val

if (ultrasoundValue3 < 150){
if (ultrasoundValue3 > 90){
led3state = 1; // green led
}
else
if (ultrasoundValue3 > 20){
led3state = 2; //yellow led
}
else {
led3state = 3; //red led
}

}else
led3state = 0; //no led

ultrasoundValue4 = analogRead(ultraSoundSignal4); // Append signal value to val

if (ultrasoundValue4 < 150){
if (ultrasoundValue4 > 90){
led4state = 1; // green led
}
else
if (ultrasoundValue4 > 20){
led4state = 2; //yellow led
}
else {
led4state = 3; //red led
}

}else
led4state = 0; //no led

if (led1state == 1){
digitalWrite(ledGreen1, HIGH);
}
if (led1state == 2){
digitalWrite(ledYellow1, HIGH);
}
if (led1state == 3){
digitalWrite(ledRed1, HIGH);
}

if (led2state == 1){
digitalWrite(ledGreen2, HIGH);
}
if (led2state == 2){
digitalWrite(ledYellow2, HIGH);
}
if (led2state == 3){
digitalWrite(ledRed2, HIGH);
}

if (led3state == 1){
digitalWrite(ledGreen3, HIGH);
}
if (led3state == 2){
digitalWrite(ledYellow3, HIGH);
}
if (led3state == 3){
digitalWrite(ledRed3, HIGH);
}

if (led4state == 1){
digitalWrite(ledGreen4, HIGH);
}
if (led4state == 2){
digitalWrite(ledYellow4, HIGH);
}
if (led4state == 3){
digitalWrite(ledRed4, HIGH);
}

delay(100);

digitalWrite(ledGreen1, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledYellow1, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledRed1, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledGreen2, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledYellow2, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledRed2, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledGreen3, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledYellow3, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledRed3, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledGreen4, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledYellow4, LOW);
digitalWrite(ledRed4, LOW);

}

They’re here

 

little red box

parts arrived in record time (sorry environment).  i lost the tracking number but remembered that Dana’s sparkfun parts arrived in a little red box.  so i told the fedEx guy that it was a little red box and ta-dah – he found it.  5 EX1 sonar sensors and an IR camera. the fun begins tomorrow.

Order Confirmation

Parts are in the mail.  I tried to get the EZ1 range finders from Lee’s but someone already cleaned them out, so i await my order from SparkFun.  I splurged and picked up an IR camera unit as well.  The camera will serve as a means to obeserve the user while interepreting their reaction to the visuals being displayed in the sonar suit.  So now I have some time to begin construction of the suit itself.

loacator jacket research (ljr)

The disassembly of objects is often a violent and painful experience. These two beacons were sealed like the cadbury secret.  I used a screwdriver to pry apart the seam, breaking the seal joining the top and bottom casings.

i have also decided to make an effort in dedicating time to the garment aspect of the LJ2k9.  It is as much about the crafting with material component as it is about the electronic integration; an opportunity to streamline design with parallel processing.

e is for electronics

Today we had a lecture on electronics by Bobbi Kozinuk from IDS. Extremely valuable and it got the electrons (a great refresher about electronics) flowing in the old motivation receptacle and  a renewed spark for the jackets project.  Plural because i am torn between what to pursue.  The 457kHz emitter jacket or the Sonar Suit?  Both I believe are plausible and manageable within the time allocated, i just don’t know which one would be more fun. The 457EJ would explore the wonderful world of electromagnetic fields and the always cool Lepidoptera flux lines. It has practical use but the more i think about it the scenarios are becoming less common.  What happens if you’re not wearing your jacket and you get caught in an avalanche? Does the jacket still emit? I guess it would, no reason why it should not.  As mentioned before, separating the transmitter from the receiver and integrating it into a jacket would free up space in the unit to allow for alternative receivers. The Sonar Suit is an opportunity to explore sensory substitution. How is one’s brain plasticity affected by the replacement of a natural sense with a manufactured one?  An opportunity to explore the realms of sensory and perception should never be passed by.  Maybe i’ll hunter, bear, ninja it?

*** I meant to include this in a previous post but i lost the address. I found it again.**

treading water

 

I am treading water in a sea of wheelchairs and books about dolphins. 

This is not a lie, I really have books about dolphins.

They are from the library. 

 

We need only to look back to the 1980’s to see the trail of sad, frowning techno fads lost along our journey to technological supremacy. The Commodore 64 was the greatest machine in the universe when I stumbled upon it as a kid.  I spent tireless hours jumping pits, climbing ladders, shooting rockets, flying helicopters, karate chopping, the list goes on.  The graphics, the sounds, the music, it was a sensory bombardment of 12 bit masterpieces.  If I hear those sounds I am instantly brought back to the wood paneled basement of times gone by. 

The C64 broke down the walls making it necessary to appreciate other types of robots, like Transformers. How does this relate to 3D glasses? My 3D experience involves the decoder glasses we used to get in order to see those scrambled Transformer pictures in the Panini sti

cker book. One day I decided to take the C64 to a new level and I decided to play with the decoder glasses on.  It was all red and colours would disappear and reappear.  The decoder glasses acted as filters rendering the otherwise enjoyable Load Runner into a visually foreign interface with a familiar set of controls. 

 

Thermochromic Ink Exploration

Process =  Commodore 64 diagram + Thermofax –> C64 Screen

C64 Screen + Blue Ink + Lt. Blue T-shirt = 1st Run

1st run T-shirt + iron/3 min = heat set image

1st run T-shirt + thermochromic ink = 2nd Run

2nd Run T-shirt  + iron /3min = heat set image

Parachutes and other thoughts

I was looking into regulating flight suits when I came across this link for electrically heated flight suits. The pamphlets and some of the recreated photos offer an insight into the tactical gear used by pilots and flight crews of the 303rd Bombardment Group during the second world war. The result of anthropometric research conducted by the military during the Second World War in conjunction with the aircraft industry yielded a substantial pool of data.  This data is an ideal starting point when designing prototypes for wearable systems and human interaction.

On an alternate note I found out about the LV-MaxSonar EZ1 High Performance Sonar Range Finder ultrasonic range finders. Commonly used for robotics it has a wide range of applications, including textiles.  Lynne Burning ,textile enchantress, has used this technology in one of her projects, Bats Have Feelings Too.  This jacket uses sonar to assist those with visual impairment to navigate through their environment.

Sonar range finders can be utilized for acoustic location systems. It might be feasible to encourage and develop sensory substitution through wearables which analyze sound waves echoing off objects and convert the intensity value into some form of sensory stimulus.