< < back home

TOTEM: a smoke signal machine

We usually think of new technology focused on the present and the future, but can we think of technology designed for the past?

Nowadays obsolete, smoke signals are the oldest form of long-distance communication. Native American Indians used them to transmit news or gather people together. What if we combine an ancient communication system with today's technology?

Like an artifact out of a parallel reality, TOTEM brings this lost tradition to the contemporary digital era. A retrofuturist device that could have been useful back in the Wild West times but was not possible to make until today.

design concept

Totem poles were monumental structures consisting of poles carved with symbols or figures combined in sequence. They were usually made from large trees by some tribes of Native American Indians. Each animal or spirit carved on the pole had a meaning and was an important symbol constituent of a story or myth.

A supernatural being known as the Thunderbird was usually positioned at the top of the totem pole with its wings out-stretched a symbol of power. He was a messenger from the sky and was in control of thunder and lighting. TOTEM reflects the symbolism of the Thunderbird in its design and sends messages into the sky in the shape of smoke signals.

aim

Just like totem poles were worshiped by Native American Indians, TOTEM is a device you can dance to, as it reacts to sound and synchronizes smoke signals to the beat of music. The idea for TOTEM is to become a Live Show Machine accompanied by a DJ playing some techno and a VJ mapping visuals on the bird as well as being in control of the smoke signals coming out of it.

prototype

The first prototype of TOTEM has been my Final Project for the Fab Academy 2018 in Fab Lab Barcelona. The machine basically consists of:
-A hollow wooden case (the external Thunderbird appearance has been simplified for this first prototype)
-A fog generator mechanism (dismantled from a commercial fog machine).
-A woofer at the bottom, pushing out the fog.
-A diaphragm/iris on the top, opening or closing the size of the apperture, defining the size of the smoke signal.

For a more detailed explanation of the whole done process, you can check the full project development here

For the final project presentation I programmed TOTEM to function as a manual smoke signal machine. In a similar way as Indians generated the smoke signals by covering and uncovering the fire, you can generate smoke signals by covering and uncovering a distance sensor with yor hand:

You can check my final project presentation live here (minute 16:42)

Later on, I reprogrammed TOTEM to synchronize the smoke signals to the beat of music using Sparkfun's Spectrum Shield for Arduino:

bill of materials

These are the material I used for the project:

case

material	supplier
Plywood 1220x2500x30mm (2 units)	Fustes Gabarro

diaphragm

material	supplier
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)	Fab Lab Barcelona
Plakene sheet (for the blades)	Servei Estacio
PLA 3d printed parts	Fab Lab Barcelona
stepper motor+cable+pulley	bricogeek

smoke generator and pushing mechanism

material	supplier
fog machine	diotronic
woofer (Beyma 12BR70)	metro electronica

electronics (speaker board)

(boards made by milling PCB blanks and soldered components)

component
ATtiny45/85
Mosfet NDS355AN or NDS356AP or RFD16N05LSM9A
1x voltage regulator 5V
1x 10K ohm resistor
1x 1uF capacitor
1x 2x3 smd male header
2x 2x2 smd male header

electronics (sonar board)

(boards made by milling PCB blanks and soldered components)

component
ATtiny45/85
Ultrasonic Ranging Module HC - SR04
Mosfet NDS355AN or NDS356AP or RFD16N05LSM9A
1x 10K ohm resistor
1x 1uF capacitor
1x 6 pin smd male header right angle
1x 4 pin smd male header right angle

electronics (music reaction)

component
Arduino UNO
Spectrum Shield
Stackable headers

For a more detailed explanation of the whole done process, you can check the full project development here

download files