Final project time!
Here are my initial ideas / sketches:
1 — Glow Rug
I’m inspired by this project by Dara Benno, designed to reduce the need for light usage at night.
I think it could be cool to create a rug that activates / lights up when walked on, like bioluminescent algae. The rug could serve as a visual reminder of our environmental footprint, while also making a convenient, automatic and as needed night light.
Here are some visual references:
This project would give me an opportunity to work with the tufter, which I’ve been hoping to try!
Execution:
– I’m assuming I can use a pressure sensor to activate the change
– I’m not sure how I would incorporate lights into the construction of the rug
– I have no idea how to get this sort of area-specific activation and will have to do more research.
2 — Plant / Lamp Window Pane
For a while now I’ve been thinking about creating a portable window. I always feel better when I can look outside and see something green, but often, we don’t have the choice of what we can see from our window, or if we have access to a window at all.
I’d like to create a frame or a room divider that looks like there is a plant on the other side of it, with light shining through it.
It could be nice to explore different plastic textures, like these pixelated options or corrugated plastic perhaps, to give different feels and effects. It could be nice to explore different window shapes too — perhalps round like a submarine? Or irregular?
3 — Princess iPhone Holder
I hate my cell phone so much. I think it would be way more fun to have a house phone that rings that delightful old-school ring when a friend calls. I really dig Dreyfus’ Princess Phones and these chunky guys:
Could I retrofit a retro phone to act like a phone case, and take my calls through the Princess phone instead?
4 — Cell Phone Toaster
It’s a toaster with the heating element removed. You put your phone in one of the bread slots and you can’t take it out until it pops. I think it should also emit a nice light from the sides, to create a positive experience while you’re phone-less.
5 — How about just some cool art?
Like a cool glowing frame that changes its color based on the art? Or some light behind pigmented resins? Or maybe art that interacts with the viewer’s palm print in some way…
Looking forward to feedback.
Hey Monty, awesome brainstorm. Some feedback per idea below. Happy to chat on slack or email further.
1. Glow Rug
For this to work the way you intend, the rug would basically have to be a low-res touch screen. Here’s a project that does a similar thing but with a table, using light sensors:
https://shop.evilmadscientist.com/majors/46-tables It’s just… a lot to do in the time we have. Not to mention that the rug tufter makes such a tight pack of fiber that even if it’s white yarn, it’s tough to get light to shine through. but one way to approach this would be to pitch it as a proposal for a larger-scale installation, and make a small example and image mockups of what it would look like in a larger space such as museum, gallery, etc.
Another completely different approach to this concept is light painting. If the yarn is fluorescent under blacklight, you could create a glove, shoes, or other device containing UV LEDs to wave over the rug, which then wouldn’t have any electronics in it. Here’s a product that has neopixel chips but all the LEDs are UV instead of RGB: https://www.adafruit.com/product/5722 I suppose you could put this LED strip behind the surface of the rug as an experiment too.
I actually happen to have some glow in the dark yarn if you want to try it out. it’s like this: https://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Crocheting-Knitting-Fingering-Supplies/dp/B0CLQRW2G4
2. Plant / Lamp Window Pane
This idea seems related to Ben’s halloween costume to me– a persistent thread of postapocalypse bunker-punk. It’s a super relatable concept to want pleasing outdoor light with green stuff in it. But without adding more features, I wonder if this idea needs any programming/microcontroller to be executed well. And if not, there’s no reason to force it, but then also no reason to pick this concept.
3. Princess iPhone Holder
Yes, this idea is feasible but those vintage ringers are kind of a pain in the butt (originally gets a high voltage AC signal from the phone line). Here are some links related to this idea:
https://www.amazon.com/Retro-Handset-iPhone-Android-Phones/dp/B006C14L06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VrxtBEDkn4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHLtDp4AC3I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLk1cjZ4ll0
4. Cell Phone Toaster
The thing that makes the toaster stay down is an electromagnet. Here’s an interesting video on the subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLFG068HtgM
so you could hack a vintage toaster and either control the existing electromagnet yourself or swap out the circuit altogether. adafruit sells some electromagnets: https://www.adafruit.com/search?q=electromagnet Instead of using a temperature sensor to control it, you would have a timer in your arduino program. Here’s a project I did that sets a timer using a realtime clock module: https://beckystern.com/2021/06/02/webcam-privacy-friend-3d-printed-eyeball/
5. How about just some cool art?
IMHO, this type of general idea has been popular in the past, but because success is difficult to describe, the results have been pretty mediocre. Carmel’s idea is related, but is more concrete because it connects to a specific piece of art– so if you go forward with this idea, I’d ask you to narrow down the subject matter and desired user experience asap.