Final Project Proposal
Team
Stuart Altman
Olivia Bigazzi
Dirk de Wit
Naya Loumou
The Broad Idea
We would like to create an interactive tool that produces information about a continent, region or land when physically touched by the user. This touch will cause the information regarding that region to be shown on a digital screen.
We believe this tool would be useful in education. Our subject would be elementary students (ages 6 to 12). The object of our system is to create a fun, intuitive learning opportunity to promote knowledge of the world we live in.
Description
For the final project we want to focus on one of the user interactions proposed in the earlier project description: touch. There are several different approaches we could take to accomplish this.
We can downsize to a 2 dimensional world map on which multiple users can touch to gather information about the countries (or in the case of multiple selections, the political relationship between the countries). These interactions will be displayed on an LCD computer screen and include open-ended historical information about the selected countries.
This world map could be developed with multiple different techniques.
Option One: One of the techniques would be to rapid prototype the countries, regions or continents with a 3D printer or to create the shapes with a laser cutter and place each plastic object on a FSR in a way that focuses the applied forces.
Option 2: Another technique to develop this system is by buying a world puzzle, since world puzzles have the pieces ready for us to use. This mitigates any manufacturing concerns that may come up. Again combining the pieces with an FSR could be sufficient to develop the multi touch world map.
Option 3: Instead of printing or buying pieces of the world, another option would be to create our own capacitive touch sensors with graphite lead or aluminum foil (reference the 2 instructables below). The advantage of the graphite approach is that we would be able to implement it on the 2D scale with no limit to inputs. The advantage of the aluminum approach is that it could be applied on an inflatable globe. With the Arduino Uno we would be able to implement up to 18 inputs.
Graphite Approach
http://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Touch-Arduino-Keyboard-Piano/
Aluminum Approach
http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-a-pencil-drawing-into-a-capacitive-sensor-for/?ALLSTEPS
Materials for the final project
- Arduino Uno
- LCD Screen
- 4 - 18 LED (for touch feedback)
- A Piezo for sound feedback
- Tape
- Wire
- Soldering iron
- Solder
Extras materials for Option 1
- Access to 3D printer/ Laser cutter and materials to print/cut.
- 4 - 18 Force Sensitive Resistors
- 4 - 18 10kΩ Resistors
Extra materials for Option 2
- World puzzle
- 4 - 18 Force Sensitive Resistors
- 4 - 18 10 kΩ Resistors
Extra materials for Option 3
- Graphite pencil
- Aluminum foil
- Markers with different colors
- 4 - 18 2.2 MΩ resistors (between 1.0 to 4.7 MΩ)
- Inflatable globe
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