Nadine H. Tuhaimer

Applications & Implications

This week we had to propose a possible idea for a final project, prepare a plan to implement it and explain how and what we need to do that.

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Questions that needs to be answered

What will it do?

My initial project idea changes drastically due to cost issues, at first I wanted to create a graphical water display but due to the high cost needed to build that I had to switch the idea.
I really wanted to do something related to water, so I decided to create some sort of art piece that can be displayed in homes or offices.
It will have a constant flow of water that creates random and different shapes under the effect of frequency.

Who's done what beforehand?

I used a lot of keywords in the attempt to find similar projects done before and I stumbled across three which are:

• Aquarius
  A project on kickstarter which is fairly similar to what I want to do. It is a fountain lamp that manipulates water in visually impossible ways.
  Aquarius is built with 60 individually addressable LED lights. By varying a portion (or all) of these LEDs at a frequency range of 75-100 Hz against a synchronized and vibrating stream of water, which can create "snapshots" or "frames" of the water at various places in time.
  The lamp is currently available on pre-order.
  
• LeviZen
  A project on kickstarter that levitates water drops. The water drops have to be added manually though.
  The expected deilvery date for the pre-ordered products is July, 2018.
  


• Levitating Waters
  A project on Indiegogo that creates the effect of water levitating in mid-air. The project was only backed by 3 users and has been closed.
  

What I'll try to create is kind of a mix of the above. The Aquarius water lamp uses the light's frequency to create different shapes while Levitating Waters and LeviZen I assume uses sound frequency to levitate water. My project will be cheaper than the mentioned and can be replicated in any fablab.

What will you design?

I will be designing the frame of the project, the PCB board that will act as the brains of the whole thing and the leakproof water container. Basically everything but the electronic parts that will be purchased.

What materials and components will be used?

For the frame I will use:

• PLA for 3D Printing parts.
• Plywood for wooden structure.
• Acrylic for some lasercut parts.

What parts and systems will be made?

I will build the structure and the casing, the lighting system and the PCB board. I will also try to build a frequency wave generator instead of just using a ready mobile app to transmit the frequency to the speaker (plan B).

What processes will be used?

I will build the project by implementing the fabrication processes I learnt throughout the course which are:

• 2D and 3D design
• Laser cutting and 3D printing
• CNC Milling
• Electronics Design & Production
• Input and Output Devices
• Embedded Programming
• Network and Communication
• Interface and Application Programming

What questions need to be answered?

Right now, I'm kind of short on time so whether or not I'll be able to finish it before project presentation is the delimma. But I will definitely do my best to finisih on time.
Another thing that is my concern is how easy it is to build my own frequency generator.

How will it be evaluated?

The criteria I'm setting for myself is the follwoing:

• Looks. It should look pretty since it's a decorative desktop size display object.
• It should be functional meaning it should be able to create a beautiful visual effect with water.
• The water tank should be leakproof.