Assignment

Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered, answering:

Your project should incorporate:
  • 2D and 3D design
  • additive and subtractive fabrication processes,
  • electronics design and production
  • embedded microcontroller interfacing and programming
  • system integration and packaging
Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project.
Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable



What will it do?

Entertain people and illuminate spaces. The goal of this piece is to both have the ability to be actively used and controlled, and to have a passive mode where it will be just a (beautiful) standing lamp.

In the Interactive mode, users will be able to extensively control the lighting with many parameters, either from an interface on a tablet or from a midi keyboard. In this sense, it will add to anything i found. What i've seen from infinity mirrors with individually addressable LEDs is at most an automatic respond-to-sound visualization. I believe that with a manual mode you can do so much more and add your emotion triggered by the music to the visualization.

In the Passive mode, the piece will be a big standing lamp which will react to human presence via proximity sensors and maybe have an automated lighting adaptivity mode depending on the ambient light coming in from windows using light sensors.

Who's done what beforehand?

The closest thing i've seen is this, by Deeplight Labs. But it seems like a pre-programmed visualization, instead of one that you can control at your will.

Anthony James' Inifinity Mirrors are really cool looking infinity mirror sculptures.

What will you design?

The project has 5 main elements as i see it:

  • Base: This will not only hold the whole structure but also hold the electronics, power chord(s) outlets and power switch button. It will also, optionally if i have time, hold some proximity sensors to change when people walk by.
  • Walls: These will be the windows of the infinity mirror, they will need to be cut into the pieces that form the final shape
  • Junctions: Thee pieces that form the structure and that hold the mirrors in place, along with the LED strips and the cabling.
  • Lighting: The key piece along the mirrors. I want to have very high-density, high-brightness illumination. I'll probably go with prebuilt strips instead of assembling the MANY LEDs i'll need
  • Programming: All the code that needs to be done to receive events from external sources like a MIDI keyboard or a tablet with specially designed interface, and turn them into the individually addressable LEDs to create the patterns.

What materials and components will be used?

  • Base: Probably hard wood since it will have to hold the weight of everything on top of it plus be hollow inside to keep electronics and power bricks and with proximity sensors around it.
  • Walls: Most probably two-way acrylic mirror sheets.
  • Junctions: I'm thinking i will 3D print these in PLA.
  • Lighting: Individually addressable LED strips are probably the easiest way to go. These 144 LED/m strips in .5m. pieces by adafruit seem spot on.
  • Electronics: Light sensor, ultrasonic sensors and an ESP32-based board, the Barduino 2.0 based on Neil's ESP32 board, redesigned by our instructors Eduardo Chamorro, Josep Marti and Oscar Gonzalez.

Where will they come from?

Wood, PLA and components from fablab Barcelona. For the LEDs i will probably have to buy them separately.

How much will they cost?

The shape i have in mind right now, although it can change, would be like a 2 meter column. So that is 16x .5m strips, + 4x for the base and the inner levels (every .5m) = 20x strips x $22.5 = $450 ! Hopefully I can find a non-adafruit cheaper alternative :)

What parts and systems will be made?

Except the LED strips, everything else will be made.

What processes will be used?

  • Base: CNC Milling
  • Junctions: 3D Printing
  • Electronics: Production of a Barduino 2.0
  • Embedded Programming: Programming the ESP32 to receive OSC inputs via WIFI and converting them to visualizations. Eventually reading the input from proximity sensors and making the structure react.
  • Interface programming: Using Unity, i will design and build a multitouch interface for tablets to control the lighting.
  • Interface programming 2: Reading a MIDI input and controlling the lighting with it.

What questions need to be answered?

  • Structural stability of the tall piece. Weights and balances.
  • Power distribution / consumption.
  • Effective cabling.

How will it be evaluated?

I guess i could list 5 main landmarks for this project:

  1. Have a big ass lamp with an infinity mirror effect.
  2. Have a pre-programmed lighting effect.
  3. Be able to control it's lighting through a custom design app with Unity.
  4. Be able to control it's lighting through a MIDI keyboard or MIDI input device.
  5. Make the 'lamp mode' reactive to user presence and distance.