Week18 - Digital fabrication, Project Development
Complete your final project, tracking your progress
CLASS WEB PAGE: http://academy.cba.mit.edu/classes/project_development/index.html
This week the exercise was about documenting the progress of the project, difficulties encountered, a possible trouble and solution.
What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?
Mechanical:
The fabric (5 x 3 m) ,ith which I made my project, was sewn in a Local Matress Factory with a multineedle machine. I lasered on model paper the 2d draws of the components and the Polyester bands to sew. So The Blaze is almost sewn totally. I have to design and print in 3D the case for boards and battery.
Electronics:
I designed and soldered the shield for the Flex Sensor to be connected to the Fabkit and I made a battery 5V for the circuit alimentation. I took a bluetooth device that I have connected to the fabkit. I still have to connect the sensors to the shield but before I want to test they and the programming with Arduino Uno.
Programming:
I started to write both IDE and Processing codes. I have 4 Flex Sensors, two for elbows and two for shoulders, so of each one of them I made a balance choising a minum and maximum value and then I divided the range in 10 positions. I want to do some testing and then I'll connect the whole circuit to make it work.
What has worked? What hasn't?
The first main problem was the fabric. The Blaze should be made in Neoprene but the online store on which I made the order has been slow with the time. The fabric would come too late and locally was very difficult to find in few times. So without much panic, I started to turn fabric shops in Frosinone searching a product suitable to my project but without success! Suddenly I found a solution. I spoke with a friend who has a mattress factory and I asked him if was possible made a fabric for my needs. The outcome was really positive! I obtained for free the seam of a three-layer fabric with size 3x5 m.
Then I had a second problem with my Fabkit, suddenly it stopped working. I tried to retrieve it but I had to mill and solder a new board! For last I have some problems with the bluetooth device. it is recognized from the pc but I can not read data in the sketch of input!
The first setting of Flex Sensor is good and the output sketch works, so I have obtained some sounds!
What questions need to be resolved?
I have to rivisit some aspects of my project. The circuit can not be designed together with the project despite being removable. So for this first prototype I decided to go on to finish the work in all parts and for the moment the circuit will be placed in the inner part of the blaze with slots!
I have to understand how bluetooth isn't recognized in the Ide and then I should study how I can work about sound to elaborate it.
What will happen when?
For next last days I will work mainly on input and output codes to programm my circuit. I want complete my project in every aspect to have an overview of it. For the end of the Fab Academy my project will be simply a prototype from which continue to work to reach my target.
What have you learned?
After 5 month of Fab Academy I can say I learned a lot of things about design, mechanical, electronics and programming. Some aspects are a deepening of my background as an Architect, instead others are a new knowledge in my personal luggage. I lived this walk with enthusiasm and a lot of will to be able to do something with my own ability. I dealt things more complex than other but with determination I wanted achieve all my goals, from assignements to final project, avoid leaving something incomplete.
documentation during development
More documentation about the project is in my Final Project Page
demand- vs supply-side time management
During the Fab Academy were few assignment which I could use to advantage of my final project. The electonics about input, output and interface was very useful for me to approach and learn several aspects to made my project, but honestly the work of realization of it focused in the last three weeks in parallel with the Mechanical assignment! By calendar I had expected to finish 2/3 days before our presentation but having had some unforeseen and obstacles I think I will use all the time available.
spiral development
First prototype of E_Motion is a blaze of three layers fabric, outers in a NON WOVEN fabric and the inner in Hypoallergenic Polyester. Inside there is the electronics case (sewn with buttons to the blaze ) which contains the circuit that consist of a Fabkit, a Bluetooth device, a Sensor shield and a battery. The Sensor are placed along the sleeves of the blaze with slots.
The output starts with a click on a processing interface and moving the arms it's possible generate different sound.
FINAL PRESENTATION SLIDE