Author: katehartman

This project has officially been named:

RF progress:

Transmitters send information only when it changes. The information is sent several times. The result: a clear transmission is made MOST of the time. ONCE in a while the values get stuck and you have to fiddle with the switches to unstick them. This is very frustrating because it is almost there, but not quite 100% reliable. I went and talked to Carlyn about it and she advised me to try a whole different approach. But I did not get this one to work. My code examples are below. Note that the second set does not work at all.

CODE: transmitter A / transmitter B / receiver || using Carlyn’s method: transmitter / receiver

Also:

I presented my progress in ICM this week. It was the new version with two characters. The wired version of this project seems pretty stable, which is encouraging. I also got some ideas for connecting from Processing to iTunes using AppleScript so that the users can select music.

Step 1: Sending one piece of information from transmitter to reciever.
Step 2: Sending multiple pieces of information from transmitter to receiver.
Step 3: Sending multiple pieces of information from multiple transmitters to one receiver.

I am currently in the midst of Step 2. I have been able to send 5 pieces of data and can tell when I listen through serial on the receiver end that it is coming in intact. Just getting this to work took me a while. I wasn’t sure of the syntax for how this should go. But now the information is arriving the way I want it to- a series of 0s and 1s (simple switch values). However, when I try to put the data to use, my “if” statements don’t work (ie. LEDs don’t light up – see code). Very strange. I was able to put the data to use before, when I was sending one piece of information, so I’m not sure what the problem is.

New problem: All of the work that I have done so far was with a transmitter/receiver set that I borrowed from Michael. My own set just arrived in the mail and I was under the impression that it was the exact same thing. However, when I replaced the T/R with the new ones, all I was able to read through serial was complete garble, which seemed completely unaffected by switch operation. I’m confused, especially since I was swapping out for the same thing. Could it be something related to the data rate? The data sheet (which is the same for both sets) says that the data rate limit is 4800. I’ve been operating at 2400 which has been working fine. I’m just not sure why one set works and not the other.

TRANSMITTER CODE / RECEIVER CODE

New developments: I will be doing this project as my ICM final in addition to PComp. My ultimate goal is to network the project so that the two users can operate their puppets from different locations.

Possible glove tip / conductive material: copper mesh, conductive rubber, conductive thread (embroidery?), spiral of copper wire
Should there be tactile feedback? Should you be able to feel that there is a connection being made? (I’ve decided against FSRs for the fingertips.)

One possible solution to the size issue would be to use a stretchy glove. I’m actually considering making the gloves myself rather than using store-bought ones. This way I can have more control over material, style, etc.

I borrowed two transmitter/receiver sets and was able to get one of them working, which was very exciting! I worked with Steven Jackson who is also using RF for his final. We started out by simply establishing serial communication between two PIC chips. Then we pulled the connection and wired in the transmitter and receiver to each board. And voila! Wireless communication. I threw the switch on a board in the firmware lab and the LED on a board in the lounge lit up. As always, PComp continues to show me that the simplest things are the most exciting. So I went ahead and ordered 4 transmitters and 1 receiver from Sparkfun to outfit my four gloves. But other thoughts for the future – I’d like to eventually work with tranceivers so I can have communication in both directions. If I do indeed network the project, it would be great if the glove of one user responded in some way when there was another user wearing the other gloves. Perhaps your glove would warm up? Or vibrate slightly in the palm? Just some sort of tactile indication that there was someone at the other end. An indication other than just seeing the other puppet move. But one thing at a time.

What is the tone? Is it edgy or playful? Challenging or inviting?
Who is the audience?
What are the implications of using handmade materials?
Why the intersection between electronics and crafts?
Who should the characters be? Identifiable or not?
What kinds of backgrounds, events?
Should there be some tasks that can only be achieved by the two puppets working together?

ISSUES:
projected personal space
intimacy
touch
physical vs. virtual
fun or thoughtful?

RESEARCH:
hand gestures
glove patterns
puppets

SETUP:

BUILDING THE GLOVE:

RF: If I want to have four gloves operating at the same time, does that mean that I have to have four sets of transmitters/receivers? Would they all have to operate at different frequencies? Or can multiple transmitters send to one receiver?

I only need a one-way transmission. Four pieces of data will be sent from each glove at one time. The data needs to be transmitted quickly enough so that there is no perceptible lag between the user’s actions and the movement on screen. The transmitter and receiver will most likely be no more than 10 feet apart.

Fingertip material: Looking into conductive rubber. I like the idea of the conductive material being flexible. It seems like this would make the whole glove more comfortable and easy to use. I’m also thinking about making the entire thumb (power) conductive, so there is more surface area to touch the other fingertips to.

Glove material: Rubber would obviously offer consistency if I was to use the conductive rubber for the fingertips. There should be some sort of relationship between the main material and the fingertip material – they should work well together physically and conceptually.

Integration of wires & RF setup into glove design: To be determined once specific RF setup is selected.

Other glove issues:
Size: I’d love to create a setup that could be used by all – from large man hands to tiny kid ones. But this would seem to involve creating gloves of multiple sizes. This could become expensive & time consuming. Do I just have to settle on a one size fits all approach for now? The only thing is that the way the glove fits affects how well it performs. Floppy fingers do not make for easy use.

NON-GLOVE CONTROLS (FOOT OPERATED):

Digital: selection of character1, character2, foreground, background, events(?)

Analog: character1 position, character2 position, background/foreground position(?)
*Or could glove control position? (If switch 4 = 1 then x= x+1, if switch 3 = 1 then x = x-1)
Looking into linear position sensing potentiometers.

GLOVE/PUPPETS:

I have a vision of continuing with the glove that I made at the beginning of the semester. I’ve been really hesitant about the whole glove thing because it so simple and so popular right now. But of all the ideas I’ve come up with, this is the one that keeps popping back up in my head, so I figure that’s more important than anything else.

My primary focus would be the glove. I’d like to make at least two sets so that two users could use both hands at the same time. I’d like to continue with using them as digital switches (on/off) and not cross over to an analog (flex sensors, FSRs, etc). However, depending on their use, I might like to introduce a panel of foot operated switches & analog inputs that could be paired with the gloves. Or additional options for input located on the glove but not on the fingers. The setup would be one where the users were standing in front of a large image (preferably projected) and they would interact with each other through what was happening on screen. One possibility is electronic puppets. I started with this for my ICM midterm and could work off of that if I decide to go in that direction.

It’s really important to me that the glove be really beautiful/functional/comfortable both as an object and as a tool. The design is really important. I’d like to try out a lot of different materials/sizes, as well as different conductive materials for fingertips. Also, there’s the question of wires. Will really long wires allow enough freedom of movement? Is there any other way to deal with this?

I like the idea of combining craft with electronics – wires that are sewn, puppets created on a computer screen with scanned, tactile materials. The thimbles I’m currently using are awkward, but I really like the concept. I’m really attracted to the crossover between worlds. There’s also the desire to make something very playful, something that both children and adults would enjoy. Something that you could play with with a stranger and you would both end up laughing. An excuse to communicate. Dance party anyone? I feel like sometimes there’s an opportunity to have a more honest, less self-conscious interaction with someone when communicating through a third element.

If I did do the puppet thing, the foot switched could allow the user to select different characters, environments, events, etc. It could turn into a real storytelling situation.

Here’s some documentation of my glove and its use with the program that I made for my ICM midterm. Currently, body motion is controlled by the 4-switch glove. Background color, body location, verticle position of planes, and horizontal position of desert/pyramid are controlled by pentiometers. A toggle switch triggers a meteor shower in the background. A momentary button causes the background to shake.

OTHER FINAL POSSIBILITIES:

• continuing the umbrella project
• creating a room with light that is responsive to the location & activity of the occupant
• hacking a 16mm film project and make the projection of a film loop responsive to some sort of user input