by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 17

After I started programming specific gestures for Tap, the cardboard and hot glue construction began to fail. This meant that the top motor was slowly falling backwards and I couldn’t operate the prototype in this state. So I decided to put the gesture work on hold until the next step and build a more robust prototype for it.

CAD

I started by measuring the two motors and getting the dimensions of my paper prototype. I then scribbled a few quick and dirty drawings of some of the possible solutions. When I was happy with my solution on paper, how the construction should look and that the motors, cables and everything had its place, I moved on to 3D modelling. I started by modelling the two motors to have a reference point and then went on to model the base to hold the top motor and a tapper that would fit perfectly on the motor’s axis. For the time being, I decided to build only the upper half of the tap, as that was all that was needed for now.

CAD Model SOLIDWORKS

3D Print

I then loaded my finished 3D model into my FDM printer and printed the base for the upper motor in neutral white and the tapper in dark blue. Both colours stayed in the scheme of my already built power supply to create a certain consistency. The whole printing process took about 5 1/2 hours and then the parts were ready for assembly.

3D Printing the tapper

Assembly

Once I had disassembled the cardboard and the hot glue build and had freed up my two motors, I checked to see if the two new parts would fit on their axles. Both fit perfectly and the assembly was quick and easy. Which shows that measuring twice as I did this time has its advantages, unlike when I build the case for my power supply. To finish, I glued the lid of the base and the upper motor inside the base with Pattafix, which is a strong enough adhesive for now and makes dismantling or replacing parts easier.

Old and new prototype parts

Testing

With the newly completed version of the prototype, I then did some live testing to see if it would hold up in motion. For the test, I scripted a short moving gesture for Tap, based on the script from the last blog post. As you can see in the video below, everything stayed in place and the setup worked even stabler and smoother than the cardboard version.

Waving Test of Tap

With Tap set up like this, I can now move on to the next steps, as mentioned in my last blog post, to start scripting different gestures and behaviours for Tap. Giving him the ability to communicate by moving his tapper and his body.

by ingrid.hjelm-hansen -

Findings from User Tests

I recently conducted user tests on my technical prototype. The prototype does not yet work exactly as I vision my final product, but I find it important to involve users at an early stage. I wanted to test the core idea and get valuable feedback for further development of the concept. 

I chose to conduct the user tests with people I interviewed in my research phase. They are women in the age range 23 to 26 and went to music lessons for 1-3 years as children. They have been playing different instruments such as piano, guitar, drums and the clarinet, but never for a long period of time. To learn more about their musical background, read my blog post from January: Key Findings from Interviews. 

User test 1

Successful melodies: 4

Observations

  • Wants to test all the buttons before starting the game
  • Tries to sing the melody outload right away after hearing it
  • Points with her fingers on the buttons
  • Uses time to think before trying
  • Improved skills after every try
  • Gets frustrated when failing, but always wants to try again
  • Missing a replay button, to hear the melody again without needing to play it

Playing when looking at the serial monitor (printed notes): much easier, higher level of success. Wants to retry every time she fails. 

General feedback

  • Thought it was very fun to play
  • Felt competitive, did not want to quit
  • Found it very annoying to fail
  • In the beginning, she did not understand that every melody was not necessarily containing all the tones.
  • Low quality speaker makes it hard to separate the tones. Suggests using Max 8 instead of the piezo buzzer. 
  • The “incorrect melody”-sound is similar to some of the melody tones. This could be distracting and confusing. 
  • After successfully playing a melody, the next one plays right away. This was too fast for her to prepare for listening again.
  • If I want to upgrade the product and make it even harder, it could be an idea to also implement different rhythms in the melody. Another option is to make the melodies longer (more than four tones). Nevertheless, she states that it was already complicated enough for her. 

User test 2

Successful melodies: 1

Observations

  • Wants to start right away, before I am finished with the explanation
  • States that she is terrible, does not know anything about music theory
  • Struggles, but learns quickly
  • Notices that she is playing the melody wrong, but struggles to point out what the problem is
  • Decides to give up after numerous attempts on the second melody

Playing when looking at the serial monitor (printed notes): easier, but still needs to think a lot and use multiple attempts to succeed. 

General feedback

  • Said it was very fun, would love to play with it all the time as a child. 
  • Very nice way to train your ear. 
  • Thought it would be easier with a higher quality speaker. 
  • Suggested implementing an orange light for better feedback. It would make it easier to understand the number of wrong notes.  
  • Wanted to try again every time she failed, but it was easy to get stuck on one melody and become annoyed. 
  • Hard to hear what is wrong. 
  • Missed a replay button. 
  • Suggested writing the name of the tones on the buttons. Thinks it would be easier to understand the connections. 
  • Suggested removing the resistors to get brighter LED lights.

Conclusion

In general, it was very helpful to test my concept in such an early stage. Their positive feedback motives me to develop the idea further in the future, and their critique made it clear what changes I should make. I already did some adjustments: 

  • Changed the pitch on some of the tones
  • Increased delay between feedback and new melodies
  • Removed resistors from the breadboard
  • Adjusted the printed messages to the serial monitor
by ingrid.hjelm-hansen -

Development of Technical Prototype

Over the past few weeks, I have been developing a technical prototype. I explored various options considering the available equipment and project timeline. After many iterations and debugging, I created a functional prototype ready for user testing. 

The prototype is a simplification of my concept. It can be used to illustrate the main functionalities, but does not work exactly how I vision my finished product. I chose to follow the advice of making a low effort prototype with high indented impact on learning outcome. 

Main components: 

  • Random melodies generated out of four tones (C, D, E, F)
  • Four buttons for user input (C, D, E, F)
  • Green LED light for positive feedback
  • Red LED light for negative feedback
  • Piezo buzzer playing melodies, user input and feedback sounds

How does it work?

Instead of using a microphone for user input, I decided to work with buttons. A piezo buzzer (speaker) plays a random melody composed of four tones, and the user can use buttons to replicate the melody. In my programmed prototype, I used the tones C3, D3, E3, and F3. Each melody consists of four tones, which is always a random combination of the above. The buttons represent one tone each:

Yellow button: C3
Green button: D3
Blue button: E3
Black button: F3

Operation flow

  1. Melody playback: The speaker plays a random melody consisting of four tones.

  2. User interaction: After the melody finishes, the user can replicate it by pressing the corresponding buttons.

  3. Feedback mechanism:

Correct replication: A short positive sound is played, and the green LED lights up, signaling success. A new random melody then follows.

Incorrect replication: A negative sound is played, and the red LED lights up. The same melody is repeated until the user successfully replicates it. 

Code written in Arduino IDE:

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 16

As mentioned in my last blog post, this time I decided to build a rough working prototype consisting of the two motors and some cardboard. To test if I could get the basic movements I wanted out of it.

Assembly

The first step was to build a cardboard base to act as a platform for the second motor. This base was then hot glued to the axle of the first or bottom motor. On top of the base, the second or top motor was attached to the base with its axle in a horizontal position rather than vertical. This arrangement allows the bottom motor to rotate the top motor around its own axis and the top motor to rotate the tapper.

Step 01

The second step was to attach a temporary arrow-shaped tap to the upper motor shaft with some hot glue. The arrow shape was chosen so that it would be easier to see if it was turning in the right direction and the right amount. With this setup in place, I could now start writing Arduino code to control the two motors at the same time and give them a chosen motion.

Step 02

Code

After trying out the sample scripts for rotating both motors from the earlier steps of my project. I started to create a basic script that would be my starting point for getting all the movements I wanted out of Tap. The idea was to make both motors rotate to a certain point and back individually at the same time, with as much control over speed and acceleration as possible. This would then be my starting point for scripting more advanced movements and gestures later in the project. After a lot of mistrails where my board kept crashing or the motors would only rotate one after the other and not at the same time, and some discussion with ChatGPT and the help of tutorials, I ended up with the script below which achieves exactly what I wanted and needed.

#include <AccelStepper.h>

#define motorInterfaceType 1

// Define the stepper motor and the pins that is connected to // (STEP, DIR)
AccelStepper stepper1(motorInterfaceType, D5, D6); 
AccelStepper stepper2(motorInterfaceType, D7, D8);

// Set the target positions for both steppers
int targetPosition1 = 200;
int targetPosition2 = 25;


///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


void setup() {
  
  Serial.begin(9600);

  // Settings for Motor 1
  stepper1.setMaxSpeed(250); 
  stepper1.setAcceleration(150);
  stepper1.setCurrentPosition(0);

  // Settings for Motor 2
  stepper2.setMaxSpeed(1000);
  stepper2.setAcceleration(500);
  stepper2.setCurrentPosition(0);


}


///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


void loop() {

  // Move stepper1 towards their target positions
  stepper1.moveTo(targetPosition1);
  stepper1.run();

  // Move stepper2 towards their target positions
  stepper2.moveTo(targetPosition2);
  stepper2.run();

  // Check if stepper1 have reached their target positions
  if (stepper1.distanceToGo() == 0) {
    // Update target positions for next movement
    targetPosition1 = (targetPosition1 == 0) ? 200 : 0;
  }

  // Check if stepper2 have reached their target positions
  if (stepper2.distanceToGo() == 0) {
    // Update target positions for next movement
    targetPosition2 = (targetPosition2 == -25) ? 25 : -25;
  }

}

Outcome

Rough prototype with both motors rotating individually at the same time

Now that the rotation and base setup is working, the next step will be to script a more defined movement or gesture for the motors to perform, and then trigger it with an OSC message from an interface on my laptop.

by ingrid.hjelm-hansen -

How To Build the Prototype

To be able to user test my concept, I want to create a prototype with a certain technical functionality. Based on ease of use and personal prior knowledge, I decided to use Arduino to test the desired functions. 

Required equipment

  • Arduino Uno
  • Battery pack
  • Breadboard
  • Buttons
  • LED lights
  • NeoPixel ring
  • Electret microphone
  • Piezo speaker
  • Wires
  • Resistors

To begin the prototyping, I watched this tutorial on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMs5J4bJOD0. It shows how to connect a microphone to LED lights for instant feedback in an Arduino setup. I thought this was a good way of starting the building of my prototype, because it contains some of the major functionalities of my concept. 

I used the online web-based tool on tinkercad.com to build my Arduino setup and write the code. This is how it looks like so far:  

In the next step, I will research how to add a speaker. This tutorial shows a setup with both a microphone and speaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIDhkvomrcg. It will hopefully help me on the way. If I can access the required equipment, I will also attempt to build it in a physical format. 

Further, I need to figure out how to generate random melodies and play them on the Arduino speaker. This website shows examples on how the melodies could sound: https://random-music-generators.onrender.com/melody. I ideally want the tempo parameter to be around 70, and the number of notes to be 4. 

For visual purposes, I also want to build a non-technical prototype to demonstrate the indented design in the end. The two prototypes will complement each other, and optimally be merged together in the final prototype video. 

by dragana.maksimovic -

Prototype idea: The Interactive Learning Table

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the integration of technology into classrooms has opened new doors for enhancing learning experiences. Yet, the challenge remains to create environments that cater to the diverse needs of all students, particularly those with cognitive disabilities such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. When reviewing and combining all of my research so far, I came up with an idea of the Interactive Learning Table, a prototype designed to make education more inclusive, engaging, and effective for every child.

Imagine a classroom where each student has access to a desk that not only serves as a traditional workspace but also transforms into an interactive, multi-sensory learning tool. The Interactive Learning Table merges tactile learning methods with cutting-edge technology, providing a dynamic educational experience tailored to individual learning styles.

Storyboard:

Key Features

1. Adjustable Touch Screen

   – At the center of the table is a touch screen that can lie flat or be adjusted to an upright position like a laptop.

   – This screen serves as a versatile guide for various activities, from displaying visual aids to facilitating interactive lessons.

2. Interactive Surface

   – The table looks like a regular school desk but features an interactive surface inspired by the Reactable technology.

   – This surface allows for tactile learning methods and games, encouraging hands-on interaction that can reinforce concepts through play and exploration.

3. Support for Different Learning Styles

   – Visual Learners: The touch screen offers visual options that complement lectures and tasks with guides, diagrams, and animations.

   – Auditory Learners: For children who struggle with reading, a text-to-speech feature highlights text as it is read aloud, providing visual feedback that enhances comprehension.

   – Kinesthetic Learners: The tactile surface supports hands-on activities, allowing students to manipulate objects and engage physically with the learning material.

Inclusive Benefits

1. Personalized Learning

   – Each table can be customized to suit the learning preferences and needs of individual students, making lessons more accessible and engaging.

   – Teachers can create personalized learning plans that leverage the interactive features to support children with cognitive disabilities.

2. Enhanced Engagement

   – The interactive elements make learning fun and interactive, keeping students engaged and motivated.

   – By incorporating games and tactile activities, the tables turn learning into an adventure, fostering a love for discovery and knowledge.

3. Support for Cognitive Disabilities

   – The tables provide essential support for students with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, who often face challenges with traditional educational methods.

   – Features like visual aids, text-to-speech, and interactive games help bridge gaps in understanding and retention, making education more accessible.

Implementation in Classrooms

The vision for the Interactive Learning Table is to have one available for every child in a classroom, ensuring an inclusive learning environment where no student is left behind. Teachers can seamlessly integrate these tables into their lesson plans, using them to complement traditional teaching methods while providing additional support where needed.

1. Teacher Training

   – Educators would receive training on how to effectively use the Interactive Learning Tables, including how to customize settings and activities for individual students.

   – Ongoing professional development would ensure that teachers stay up-to-date with the latest educational technologies and strategies.

2. Curriculum Integration

   – The tables can be programmed with a variety of educational apps and software aligned with the curriculum, covering subjects from math and science to language arts and social studies.

   – Teachers can access a library of resources and activities designed specifically for the tables, making lesson planning easier and more effective.

3. Feedback and Adaptation

   – The tables would collect data on student interactions and progress, providing valuable insights for teachers to tailor instruction further.

   – Regular updates and feedback loops would allow for continuous improvement of the tables‘ features and educational content.

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 15

This week I tackled the problem of the power supply and decided to make a more polished prototype for it, as I do not expect any changes to this part of the project for the time being. This means that I want to enclose all the functional parts in housings and make it look like a normal power supply as used in household or consumer electronics.

Set-Up

To start with, I ordered a 240V to 12V transformer with a 2.5A output, which will give me a bit of headroom and also power the Wemos board. The rest of the set up consists of a textile power cord, some Arduinio wires, a plug, some shrink sleeves and my custom printed case for the transformer. As you can see in the picture below, there are two versions of my custom printed case. I would like to say it is an iteration, but it is because of a measurement error on my part and the first version is not usable. Which just goes to show that the old carpenter’s adage „measure twice, cut once“ also applies to 3D printing in rapid prototyping.

Parts

Assembly

I started by connecting the textile power cord to my custom case, and while the glue was drying on that end, I attached the plug to one side and the arduino wires for use in the breadboard to the other. I started by attaching the textile power cord to my custom housing, and while the glue was drying on that end, I attached the plug to one side and the arduino wires for use in the breadboard to the other. When that was done, I connected both ends of the cable to the transformer and fixed the transformer in its custom housing. The final result with the build together housing is shown in the picture below.

Connecting & Soldering
Final Outcome

Now that the power supply is finished, the setup for controlling both motors at full power is complete. The next step will be to build a rough functional prototype capable of generating the movements needed for Tap.

by lucas.nuss -

Calm Technology // 14

As a next step, I have ordered a second stepper motor for my more advanced prototype. This time, because I wanted to keep the size of the tap small, I ordered a Nema 17 pancake stepper motor. The difference is the height of the motor block, which is much thinner in this motor. After receiving the motor, I set up the second motor in the same way as the first and connected the new motor, a second motor controller and my Wemos board all together on the breadboard.

Soldering & Adjustment

Two motor Mock-Up

Once everything was set up, I adapted the code running on my Wemos to control two motors instead of one, and tested two motors running in the same way as before the single motor. First in direction and interval and then in direction, acceleration and interval.

Control of direction and interval of rotation
Control of direction, acceleration and interval of rotation

Results

After some problems with changing the code to allow for both motors to be driven at the same time, the set up was running quite smoothly. The only problem I ran into was that each of the motors required 1A at full power and my current temporary power source (a simple house-hold 12V plug-in transformer) only supplied 1.5A. This meant that as soon as I started playing around with faster speeds or resistance, one of the motors would miss steps, stop or just fail for a moment. So before I can really start building the first working prototype, I need to fix this problem. So my next step will be to build a custom power source that will provide enough power to run both motors at full speed.

by ellen.dressler -

13 | Pros and Cons of my ideas

After presenting my three paper prototypes in my last blog post, I would now like to go into more detail about the advantages and disadvantages of the individual ideas.

App

Developing an app provides an interactive learning environment that encourages children to actively participate in the learning process, which increases attention and engagement. Because of the easy adjustability content can be updated regularly to incorporate new topics or changes in sustainability. Gamification elements such as rewards and level-up systems can make learning about sustainability more engaging, while the multimedia presentation appeals to different learning styles through videos, texts and interactive games. The app can cover a wide range of topics, allowing users to learn at their own pace and delve deeper into topics of particular interest to them. Due to its global reach, awareness of sustainability could be promoted worldwide.

However, using an app also comes with challenges. The increased screen time can have a negative impact on children, and the distraction of other apps can reduce the effectiveness of learning. Dependence on the availability of technological devices and the risk of superficial learning are further disadvantages. Digital learning can also have an isolating effect on children which other forms of learning might not have.

Real life gadgets

Real life gadgets make it possible to integrate learning experiences into everyday life and deepen the understanding of sustainability through physical interaction. This tangibility is particularly effective with younger children and enables direct behavior change through practical application. The fun factor of the gadgets keeps the topic of sustainability positive and encourages continuous learning. Long-term commitment and the promotion of personal initiative are further advantages of this method. The immediate feedback loops, such as the sense of achievement when recycling correctly, reinforce positive behavior.

However, the limited educational content provided by physical gadgets can be problematic. Their longevity could be limited by wear and tear, and didactic flexibility is restricted. In addition, the possibilities of use could be limited by external circumstances such as weather or location.

Board game

Board games provide an excellent platform for social learning by encouraging group interaction and discussions about sustainability. They allow for playful education and the deepening of complex concepts through strategic moves. Board games do not require digital technology, which makes them particularly energy efficient. Their longevity and ability to promote responsibility different scenarios are significant advantages.

However, once content has been produced, it cannot be easily updated, which can be a disadvantage as themes change. The physical space and commitment required from multiple players can also present challenges. The repetitiveness and limited learning potential could cause player interest to wane. The reliance on group dynamics could also lead to unequal learning experiences.

In conclusion, each of these prototypes—app, real-life gadgets, and board game—offers unique approaches to teaching sustainability, each with distinct benefits and limitations. Ultimately, the goal is to create an engaging, effective, and accessible tool that empowers the next generation to embrace sustainable practices.

by ellen.dressler -

12 | Paper-Prototypes

At the beginning of this semester, we were given the task of creating three paper prototypes to help us visualize the initial ideas of our project. I chose the area of environmental sustainability because it most inspires me personally and I see the greatest potential to have a positive impact on future generations.

To accommodate different learning styles and interests, I visualized three different approaches to communicating this topic.

App

A mobile application that guides players through various environmental topics in a playful way. Players acquire knowledge in mini-games, short educational videos and easy-to-understand texts and test their knowledge in a quiz. After successfully completing a level, they unlock the next learning area. This app could also include an interactive map of the real world where children can discover local environmental problems and suggest solutions.

Real life gadgets

Gadgets that make everyday situations such as separating waste, saving water or switching off the lights more fun. One example is attaching small basketball hoops above the garbage cans, which not only increases the fun factor but also promotes waste separation. Also, for example a gadget in the form of a “magic switch” could be developed to help children visualize how much energy they save when they turn off the lights.

Board game

A board game that integrates environmental issues into a shared gaming experience with friends and family. Through creative game tasks that impart knowledge and encourage reflection, awareness of ecological sustainability is raised in a playful way. The game could e.g. include question cards about different environmental issues. If they are answered right the player can move forward with their token.

In quick feedback rounds, similar to the concept of speed dating, I was able to get valuable feedback on these ideas from my fellow students during the course. All three approaches were similarly well received, which is encouraging on the one hand, but did not make my decision-making process much easier on the other. The app was particularly highlighted as the most flexible and customizable medium, which also offers the ability to dynamically update and expand content.

In the next blog post, I will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each prototype in detail. The goal is to develop a teaching method that is not only informative but also highly entertaining in order to effectively sensitize children to the importance of sustainability. Their early involvement in these important topics could be the key to shaping a generation that is conscious and responsible in its use of our planet’s resources.