Brief

Propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered:

  • what will it do?
    •
  • who's done what beforehand?
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  • what materials and components will be required?
    •
  • where will they come from?
    •
  • how much will it cost?
    •
  • what parts and systems will be made?
    •
  • what processes will be used?
    •
  • what tasks need to be completed?
    •
  • what questions need to be answered?
    •
  • what is the schedule?
    •
  • how will it be evaluated?
    •
    The Details

    What will it do?

    The final project will be a versatile (wrist)band, that can be either be worn as a watch or be attached in another object as a display (e.g bike's handlebars). The original thought I had in the beginning of this course was to make multiple wearable output sensors (vibration) that could inform you how to replicate instructions from a trainer without looking at them, just by feeling in your suit what to move. Making a whole interactive, gym suit with sensors seemed such an enormous task, so the alternative I thought of was to make a watch that will give you directions without having to look at your phone's screen. Such an application can be handy in many scenarios, for example when riding a bike. Initially I was imagining it could have 2 kinds of output, vibration and light, but I decided to go only with one kind to make it as small as possible; light. The wearable navigator will be real-time, but very simple; it will only light up to indicate when you should turn left/right by lighting up the left or right side of the screen respectively. Connectivity with google maps is desirable and hopefully can manipulate the api into the final application

    Who's done what beforehand?

    There are several (wrist)bands in the market. Just to mention a few: Fitbit, Jawbone UP, FuelBand, Apple Watch. However 90% of them are fitness trackers with a rising market of "smart" watches. Unfortunately (for me), apple had the same idea earlier and the apple watch does buzz in real-time when you navigate (a kind of buzz for left turn, a different one for right) when you are using google maps. But that's ok, I will have my DIY direction watch in the end without bying an apple watch (I guess)!

    What materials and components will be required?

    In order to make a real-time navigation wristband system the following will be needed:

    • Band (silicon, casted)
    • Case to put the electronics inside (PLA, 3d printed)
    • Display (Semi-transparent acrylic, laser cutted) //Or this will also be 3d printed with thin walls to diffuse LED light
    • PCB with LEDs (copper plate, milled)
    • 3.3V Battery
    • 4.0 Bluetooth Shield module

    Where will they come from?

    In order to make a real-time navigation wristband system the following will be needed:

    • Band: Bought the silicon Mold-Max 27T
    • Case: Fab lab's inventory
    • Display: Fab lab'acrylic leftovers, or bought
    • PCB with LEDs: Fab lab's inventory
    • Battery: Fab lab's inventory
    • Bluetooth: Ordered the HM-10

    How much will it cost?

    Besides electronics that will come from fab's inventory the external, main costs are the silicon and the bluetooth shield. The silicon is already used in previous week, and it really takes a tiny amount to create a band, so the cost of the band shouldn't be the same with the quantity used in the final assignment:

    • Band: Silicon (30 euros) Mold-Max 27T
    • Bluetooth: about 10 euros with delivery costs HM-10

    Electronics, provided by the lab/inventory items:

    Other material available in the lab:

    • 3d printer filament | Price depends on the model so I can't calculate the grams needed without that

    What parts and systems will be made?

    I will attempt to create the following:

    • Detachable holder from the band
    • Slide-in case of electronics (that will act as display) to the holder
    • My first double-side PCB to save space and place the 3.3V battery instead of a 9V one
    • Wireless communication system to mobile/computer
    • Google maps API interface application for directions
    • Could be that I also have time for packaging

    What processes will be used?

    • 3d printing
    • Electronics design
    • Electronics production
    • Embedded programming
    • Interface and application programming
    • Networking
    • Molding/Casting (will probably use the same mold for the band, but will cast it in different colour)
    • Laser cut (in case an acrylic display will be needed instead of a thin 3d print
    • 2d/3d design
    • Basic mechanical design for the slide-in/detachable case

    What tasks need to be completed?

      Design the receiver board with battery and bluetooth
    • Produce it
    • Design the case to fit it inside
    • Assemble all together (case, band, board with electronics)
    • Programm (interface, board, wireless communication)
    • Debug

    What questions need to be answered?

    • Is the bluetooth stable with 3.3V battery or is there also need for 5V supply as the HC-08?
    • How small can the PCB be so that it fits on your wrist as a "watch"? That depends on whether I need to use a 9V battery instead of a 3.3V circular one!
    • Is there time enough for the Google API programming/interfacing with hmtl to javascipt to bluetooth slave or shall I find a simpler alternative to demo the functionality of the band?

    What is the schedule?

    Waiting for the bluetooth shield to be delivered I will start with the production of the case, casting the band and assembling these. PCB design will follow and hopefully the bluetooth shield will be here on time to make final programming/debugging.

    How will it be evaluated?

    Hopefully it will work and that is the basic "pass" of the evaluation. The biggest challenge to me, as a designer, is what users think. Is it useful and easy to use?