Originally, my final project was a complete light installation where 13 globe lights would be programmed to turn on and off according to real-time tracked whale calls occuring in Massachusetts Bay. After a couple weeks in Fab Academy and a conversation with my guru and Neil, I realized that my final project for the class really needed to be a single working prototype instead of 13 networked lights working as a system. Realizing this really helped my anxiety levels but more importantly, it helped me to focus on the components that would make up each individual light.
I am really pleased that I think completing a working prototype will be feasible but a single prototype is not the final product. Once I finish the prototype, I will start working on the larger installation making design adjustments based on some of the things I'm learning while working on with my current design - for example, solutions for the prototype may turn out to be inappropriate when used in a system. I hope to be able to develop a networked system of 13 lights that respond to whale calls like I had originally intended and that will be the direction I go in after the prototype is complete.
Jessica Metz Fab Academy 2015