Principles and practices

The assignment for the first week is to sketch a final project idea in which to apply the skills learned through the Fab Academy program.

I come up with two ideas: the first one oriented to solve an urban mobility problem and that’ll work on the city scale. And the second, oriented to solve an office environment issue and that’ll work indoors.

Bike Lane Printer

The problem

Transport is one major concern in cities, the most advanced ones are turning into new mobility methods, but one traditional transportation alternative is still growing among citizens because it is easy to use, cheap and environment-friendly: the bicycle.

Nevertheless, sharing the road with motor vehicles its dangerous for bicycle users, that’s why they need a delimited space, an exclusive bicycle lane.

In my hometown Trujillo and like many other Latin American cities, there are many plans for implementing bike lanes and also a growing movement of cyclists and organizations, but bike lanes remain practically non-existent, making it dangerous (and difficult) to use the bike as a standard method of transportation.

The idea

A machine pulled like a bike trailer that can spray paint on the asphalt, printing a bike lane and making it visible and recognizable for other vehicles. I’ll be an open-source design and easy to replicate to create a swarm of bike lane printers that could complete or repair the bike lane system of a city.

This machine will have spray paint cans placed on a laser-cut structure (with the width of a bike lane), a microcontroller programmed to activate solenoids (or valves) that will press the spray cans and release the paint. This will allow printing signs and custom messages onto the bike lane.

Inspiration

List of resources

Structure

  • MDF board (for CNC milling).
  • 2 wheels.
  • various 3D printed parts.

Printing system

  • microcontroller.
  • spray cans (7 to 9).
  • solenoids (for spray cans).
  • relay modules.
  • 12v batteries.
  • on-off Switch.

Additional

  • bike

Office Mood Light

The problem

Stress is a growing health issue, long working hours in an office environment can affect people’s health. this could be avoided if stress signs would be easily readable to be conscious about

The idea

A lamp that could be placed in a desk and can monitor stress levels in an office environment. This will work be reading biological signs of stress (like pulse, respiration, transpiration, ocular movement, etc.) of an employee and display it in a hue color code (ex.: blue for relaxed gradually turning red if stressed) the lamp will also have a pulsating movement (inflate) synchronized with the office worker pulse, allowing them to be conscious about increasing stress levels and the need for taking a short break. ;)

The lamp or several lamps placed in an office will save this data and share it with an app or web to monitor the stress levels of the office environment daily. This will help identify the stress triggers and the status of the general mood of the workforce.

Inspiration

List of resources

Structure

  • MDF board or cardboard (for laser-cut).
  • various 3D printed parts.

Electronics

  • finger heart rate/pulse sensor.
  • microcontroller.
  • ballon.
  • RGB Led.
  • servo motors(for pulsating action).
  • servo driver module.
  • USB power supply.
  • on-off Switch.

Useful links

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