Recitation: https://vimeo.com/827803179

Review: https://vimeo.com/830291088

Slides: http://academy.cba.mit.edu/classes/applications_implications/index.html

Task: Applications and Implications

Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered.

Your project should incorporate:

2D and 3D design
Additive and subtractive fabrication processes
Electronics design and production
Embedded microcontroller interfacing and programming
System integration and packaging.

Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project. Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable.

See Final Project Requirements for a complete list of requirements you must fulfil.

The answers to the questions below will allow you to create your BOM (Bill Of Materials).

What processes will be used?

Wood and PCB Milling, 3D printing, vinyl cutting, laser engraving

What will it do?

The device is designed is created to help people to control their breathing rythm for stress reduction. It act as a reminder to perform training sessions of several minutes by day.

Sessions reminder: User can define a daily goal in a web interface. When the device is setup with those parameters, it will notify user periodicaly to start a relaxation session. Frequency of reminder and prefered time slots are user defined.

Notifications: The device blink and/or vibrate periodicaly until the user validate that he want to perform a training session. Touching the device make the training start with light and vibration patern, if the user long touch the object session stop.

Exercises: Breathing excercices consists in inhale and exhale at a low, predefined frequence. To help reaching this optimal rythm, the device display a colored light patern on it surface. To allow the user to follow the suggested rythm even with closed eyes, 2 vibrations motors vibrate with the sama patern.

Type of outputs: The differents mode beetween Light/vibration/both can be choosen by pressing the embedded button on the side of the object.

Who’s done what beforehand?

Similar wearable devices and tools have been developed for

Instant Pebble, a glowing stone to help reach minfulness https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/momentpebble/moment-pebble-a-new-tool-for-modern-mindfulness

Several smilar object on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stress-Relief-Breathing-Light-Mindfulness/dp/B0CCY9FRXF?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Breathing-Meditation-Machine-Anxiety/dp/B0BY383MWW

What did you design?

I designed an hand-sized device incorporating an esp32-c3 microcontroler, 31 ws2812b leds and 2 vibration motors. The enclosure is made of wood. The PCB has been designed in KiCad and milled on a cnc machine. An other iteration of the PCB has been manufactured from an online manufacturer. Top part of the device has been milled in acrylic and engraved by a laser cutter. Packaging has been designed and laser cutted in cardboard, a custom sticker has been transfered on a fabric bag to store the object.

What materials and components were used? Where did they come from? How much did they cost?

The materials and components used in the design include:

The overall cost of the project for materials is around 11€.

What questions were answered?

• How to make a two-side PCB
• How to use CNC milling machine
• How to use molding ans casting to create custom parts
• How to place and solder smd component with solder paste
• How to create a lightning mask and engrave a patern on a non planar surface
• How to setup a wifi enabled microcontroller from a web interface

What worked? What didn’t?

Since I was new to a lot of aspect of this project, I spend a lot of time before developing a smooth workflow on some tools. Especialy using CNC for PCB fabrication and 3D milling.

A part of the project involving forming a metal, engraved ring was not trully succesfull for now.

I planned to use capacitive sensor array behind the top surface of the object to detect touch, caress and rotation movements. Sadly, the microcontroller choosen had hardware imitation on the number on input and the signal was too weak to be usable.

Visual light effect is conform to my expectation as well as the overall aspect of the object. I still have significant work in software developement to create a appealing interface to setup the different option of the project.

How was it evaluated?

I made simple testing and let friends and family give their feedback on the device.