The Hexapod!

A geometric seating pod to enhance your Fab experience!

These are the results and reflections on my final project. To see how I planned and budgeted this project, with my partner Amanda, go to Applications and Implications, and to learn about how we made the Hexapod, go to Project Development.

Presentation Slide

Presentation Video

Summary

The Hexapod is an indoor seating area with lighting and sound effects. I worked with Amanda, to complete this project. You can find her website HERE. In case it was unclear in the video or slide, our responsibilities were divided up between the lighting and sound systems. I designed, fabricated, and programmed the board that controls the speakers. When someone steps inside, they are greeted with a song! This randomly chosen melody is activated by a passive IR sensor. Also, inside the dome are two buttons that change the patterns of the Neopixels around the dome and the base.

The seating pod can be used as a reading nook or study space in our Fab Lab. It's located in a generally quiet area, so the lighting and sound create a wonderful ambiance. Actually, one of the original inspirations for this project was the Wheaton Fab Lab's relocation, we wanted to make our own furniture to fill the new space. I see the Hexapod as a possible furniture piece and hangout area for Fab Labs everywhere. I say Fab Labs because the pod conveniently demonstrates many of the machines we use in Labs!

We have three forms of manufacturing: CNC routing (subtractive), laser cutting (subtractive), and 3D printing (additive). I used Fusion360 to make many of the 2D designs files for the CNC, and also to make 3D models of the hexagon corner hooks for printing.

Questions and Reflections

Some of the questions that my partner and I had earlier on were about which input devices would be best to use. Our decisions to go with buttons and an IR sensor were ultimately driven by what we were able to get working. I had trouble using IR remote controls and playing songs off of an SD card because of library compatibility issues with the ATtiny3216 chips. Also, we played around with the idea of using piezo buzzers as pressure/vibration sensors to turn on the lights, but they didn't work well enough consistently.

How can it be evaluated? Qualitatively, the design can be evaluated by the people who use the space. Does the Hexapod increase their enjoyment of the space? Is it aesthetically pleasing to many people? Is it inviting? Does it prompt curiosity? Functionally, does it work with the lighting and sound? Yes we were able to get all of these devices to work. The buttons were a little finicky due to some loose connections in the wires, but that can be easily improved on. Another thing that can be upgraded is the volume level in my sound system. However, for this use I'd actually prefer the sound to be on the quieter side, makes for better ambiance!

I learned so much from doing this project and from FabAcademy as a whole. It was a lot of work but I definitely know more about electronic systems and embedded programming, which I had no experience with at the beginning of the class.