Weeks 1 & 2: Situations Worth Sensing

Jon Lai & Katie Suskin

In considering situations worth sensing, we were especially inspired by http://www.thefuntheory.com/. We were excited by the prospect of solution to a problem while incorporating an element of fun. After discussing everything from paying taxes to learning music to encouraging sustainability, we landed on four main ideas, two of which we presented in class on Wednesday (4/06).

HANDS FREE MUSIC*

Electronic instruments have gotten more and more complex over time as well as increased in number. What if you could control all your different sound effects such as guitar pedals by gesture or location rather than having to push a button?

Floor mats

Similar to a push button pedal, having larger spaces a musician could move around in would create flexibility and not tie the musician down to a single point

Directional motion sensors

An invisible way to detect the position of the musician on the stage. A musician would simply have to be in front of the sensor to activate the effect.

Looping pedal location lensor

Allowing one person to have multiple stage presences. In a series of ‘zones’ a musician could record an instrument and then move to the next ‘zone’ and record something different. In doing so, the musician could create loops and play as a one man band while using a full stage.

HEALTHY HABITS*

Most people want to be healthy, but lack motivation or encouragement. How could sensors make having a healthy lifestyle more fun or easier? Some healthy habits we considered were drinking more water, exercising, and discouraging over-eating.

Watch/Shoes

Could potentially monitor heart rate/steps/time duration of exercise, and report back to another object to provide feedback about suggested food/water intake

Water bottle

People don’t drink enough water, exercising more also requires more water intake, could monitor water level in bottle vs exercise duration

Fridge

People often leave messages and reminders on fridges, fridge could communicate with other sensors to give feedback based on whether or not user has exercised, discourage over-eating

'KITCHEN AID'

A kitchen is a very chaotic place at times. There is always a wide array of activities that can be taking place at any one moment. When a meal is being made, many appliances can be active and potentially forgotten. For most people, this may be a common accident, but it can be especially dangerous for the elderly.

Stovetop

A familiar interface location. A stove could sense weight applied to its elements and turn off when a pot or pan is removed or left on too long

Range Hood

A ventilation hood that could sense smoke and turn on or adjust to adapt to changing states in the kitchen

Fridge Door

A centralized location that normally displays important information. Color coding here could describe anything from stove elements left on, to the contents of food within the fridge at a glance.

BICYCLE WAYFINDING

It’s very easy to get lost on bike rides, and there isn’t a simple, non-intrusive way to direct cyclists on routes. Existing signage is often limited and overly generalized, carrying printed directions is a hassle and dangerous, and even having to read GPS units on handlebars can be a pain.

Bicycle Parts: handlebars, seat, light

Parts of the bike that riders can touch and/or see at all times could be useful directional tools

Phone (GPS)

Though we don’t want cyclists to have to read screens, the GPS on phones is a valuable tool that we hope to somehow translate to somewhere more visible/detectable

Helmet, glasses, gloves

Many cyclists tend to have these items on a regular basis. Because they are near the face, we envision that helmets or sunglasses could create some sort of visual wayfinding. Gloves may provide opportunities to use some sort of touch sensor, though we would have to experiment to see what could be felt on the hands while riding.

*situations we presented in class and plan to explore more