Archive for December, 2009
Elemental Stick
Completed 12/2009
Using your breath, you can remotely control the 3 elemental forces of nature (wind, fire and water) through a 6 foot bamboo cane.
The idea is based on the Chilean rainsticks that recreate the sound of rain when they are flipped over. The Elemental Stick allows for control of the forces of nature by the use of your breath. Mother Nature or God would perhaps use this type of interface to control the elemental forces. As you blow into the remote (shorter bamboo cane) the sounds of wind, fire, or water coming from the long bamboo cane will grow louder and the lights will become brighter in addition to changing color based on the element selected. Twisting the remote, ie. altering the tilt, will change the control between the 3 different elemental forces.
Elemental Stick and Remote Demo
Construction and Testing
- Arduino Pro Mini’s are used for the microcontrollers
- Wireless communication is done via the Xbee’s
- A thermistor is used for the breath sensor
- The BlinkM MaxM, available on Sparkfun, is used to light the fiber optics
- The MP3 Trigger, also available on Sparkfun, is used for audio playback and storage
Testing Electronics
Testing Elemental Stick
Alien Target
An After Effects movie starring JCVD.
After Effects Snowman
An small movie done in After Effects to help get into the holiday season. I found the snowman illustration online.
After getting feedback from class, I’ve changed my idea a bit. So instead of a device that tells you the weather, I created a device where you can control the elemental forces of nature. Using your breath, you will remotely control wind, fire and water. Mother nature or God would perhaps use this type of interface to control the elemental forces. The project is made of a 6 foot bamboo cane that houses the electronics(w/ Xbee), a speaker and fiber optic cables. The remote is a shorter bamboo cane you blow into. It houses a Xbee, a thermistor and an accelerometer. As you blow into the remote, the sounds from the long bamboo cane will become louder and the fiber optics will become brighter. Twisting the remote will allow you to change between the 3 different elemental forces.
Testing Electronics
Testing Elemental Stick
Elemental Stick and Remote Demo
