*Updated Idea
I want to move away from utilitarian features and embrace a “less is more” philosophy to create something beautiful. Specifically, I’m drawn to the idea of crafting a round wall sculpture with a light source (narrow or wide) that slowly glides along the inner perimeter of the frame. I believe there’s a certain truth in this specific movement and aim to evoke a sense of calm and timelessness.
Here are my brainstorming drawings (very abstract) that explore the location of the light source, featured objects, light and shade, etc. I’m particularly fond of the fifth idea at the central bottom. It’s a flat, round wall decor piece with a light-colored frame. It features a base layer of light blue (made out of acrylic/ painted canvas/ wood/ another material) and a transparent layer of acrylic engraved with leaf veins. The concept involves a single light source on the inner perimeter that either physically moves around or creates this illusion with an LED strip. I also plan to hand paint transparent relief paste/ UV resin on top of the laser engraing to enhance the texture of leaf veins.
To enhance interaction, I plan to integrate a sound sensor that increases brightness when it’s noisy and decreases it when it’s quiet.
Problem Addressed/ Purpose of Making
Life in NYC is stressful; I miss the greenery of nature, and my meditation time is plummeting. I want to create an unconventional piece of house decor that can help me regain focus at home. The decor’s calming look symbolizes harmony; the gliding light will be a powerful tool for focus and meditation. Its smart reaction to ambient sound levels makes me feel connected to the space’s mood
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*Previous Ideas
Split-Flap Clothing Palette Selector
A split flap clothes selector. It is attached to a gesture sensor and has three color wheels layered on top of each other, spinning independently on the same motor. The idea is I take pictures of my tops/ bottoms/ accessories and print them out on the color wheel, every time before I head out, I wave at the selector to help me pick a random (and hopefully good) outfit combination.
https://www.instructables.com/Split-Flap-Display
Low-Light Alert Police Beacon
A police beacon with an LDR sensor on top that starts screaming whenever its surrounding gets too dark. It can be used to alert poor lighting in our studio.
Clean Desk Protector with Radar
A radar sensor setup to keep my desk area free of random objects. The idea is to use an Arduino radar sensor that scans the space and alerts me whenever anything out of place enters the zone. To avoid picking up hands or other moving objects, I might need an extra heat sensor to ignore any skin detection, etc. (Not totally sure if one sensor will cut it or if I’ll need a combo). (personal least favorite idea)
https://projecthub.arduino.cc/nimishac/ultrasonic-radar-with-arduino-19baa3
