16. Applications and implications

"propose a final project "
page contents:
FOFO
JEWL

First project: FOFO

remark: I left this project for my final project JEWL.
The first project that I embarked on was FOFO: a camera for sound memories.

FOFO board 1.1

The concept

FOFO records 15-30 second audio clips of moment you wish to remember.
The idea behind FOFO is that the mood and atmosphere in situations is determined in a great deal by the sounds that are there. Imagine being on a busy square in the middle of a beautiful European town, enjoying a coffee, or walking along a bustling market in Asia, or hiking along in Yosemite. Wherever you go, sound matters. We do not take these sounds home when we shoot pictures of moments we wish to remember.
Enter FOFO. It is a wearable that records 15-30 seconds audioclips. Back home, these recordings are played back to you randomly, subtly in the background and at random intervals. So just like a photo in a frame that brings you back to dear memories when you glance at it once in a while, FOFO does the same...with audio. -->

Development

I did a lot of work on FOFO. I designed a schematic and a board and wrote a lot of code to read audio data, store it somewhere and play it back. However, the audio quality is important for this project. Without recognisable and good quality audio played back to you, this project fails in my mind. I could not figure out how to get it to work in the time that I had.

FOFO board 1.1
testing with the oscilloscope
3D printed FOFO case parts

JEWL

Concept

JEWL is a wearable that can change it's color to match your outfit. I want it to be an elegant object that is beautiful to look at and soft to the touch. The idea is to make JEWL glow at a certain color.
I like the idea of a jewel-like object. I want the electronics not to be completely hidden.

sketch of JEWL
sideview sketch of JEWL

Who has done what beforehand

An interesting project is NECLUMI which is a necklace created with light projection.
A project that inspired me because of it's tactile aproach of jewelry is Jennifer Cupri's designs.
Also, Moodmetric's interactive jewelry is worth noting.
WHat I also like is The Heartbeat Necklace by Vanessa Carpenter and Dzl.

Materials

I want JEWL to have a crystal-like look and be soft to the touch. The front part will be cast in a mold with a clear resin (which I will get from FORM X in Amsterdam)to enable looking through it and the light to p[ass through. The bottom might be made of wood (I still have some dark hard wood at home that I might use).

Parts and systems

JEWL will be made of the following parts & systems:

Tasks

To make JEWL I need to do the following:

Questions

Questions that need to be answered:

Schedule

This is going to be very tight, because I decided to switch project 6 days before the final presentation. Most critical is going to be to do the molding and casting and to produce the board. I will design the 3D shape first so I can get started with the mold. I will also create a prototype board 0.1 with 1 RGB led and 1 sensor, so I can prove that the basics work and to do code development. After that, I will design board 0.2 with 4 RGB leds and an additional sensor.
Timing wise:

  1. Design the 3D shape (1 days)
  2. Design schematic and layout for board 0.1 (1 days)
  3. Getting supplies and materials (0.5 days)
  4. Milling, casting soft mold (0.5 days)
  5. Casting the part (0,2 days)
  6. Producing board 0.1 (0.5 days)
  7. Write code for RGB led (0.5 days)
  8. Write code for sensor input (0.5 days)
  9. Design schematic & layout board 0.2 (1 days)
  10. Produce board 0.2 (0.5 days)
Total time planned: ±6 days.
Available time: 6 days...it will be tight to get it all done

Evaluation

I want to evaluate the project as follows. First, color is key for this project, so it will be important to be able to regulate the color of the board. Also I plan to use 4 RGB leds, so there should be a board that can hold these. Further, the shape should be pleasing, showing the electronics.

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