Final Product - Decibully (Cassie, Angela, and Mike)

We're excited to announce our final product, a sound-sensing lamp called Decibully. Here's a look at our final form factor and a pitch video. KEEP IT DOWN!!!

Prototyping Process (Cassie, Mike, + Angela)

Our prototyping process included a fair amount of trial and error on our part to figure out which pieces would be integral to our final working product. We knew we would need the following:

• a microphone with the ability to pick up noise at a decent range
• A physical form for our lamp
• LED Light (an individual LED, a NeoPixel strip or ring, etc.)
• LCD Screen

The first thing we did was test out different microphones to see which one would be our best option moving forward. The first microphone we tried out (left, below) was too sensitive and wouldn't pick up the noise we were trying to capture. We then experimented with a loud noise microphone (right, below) but found that this also did not meet our needs. The range that the microphones picked up was too small and did not allow us to measure the values we were looking for. 

we eventually landed on the Adafruit Electret Microphone Amplifier which worked well to pick up noise from a distance. 

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The next step was to figure out what we would be using for our light source. In the early phases, while we were still experimenting with the code, we used single LEDs as our light source. We wanted something more powerful and brighter since our lamp is designed to be used as a signal, so we ended up purchasing the Adafruit NeoPixel Ring to use as our light source.

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We also ordered an LCD screen to be used as a display and to display the message that shows when an individual is being too loud. 

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Next, we got all the pieces of our project working individually: the lights illuminating when a sound is heard and the LCD displaying a message. (The video clip below shows an iteration where we used a row of LEDs to act as a volume meter similar to ones you see on a soundboard in a recording studio. The image on the right shows the NeoPixel ring illuminated within our proposed form for the cover of our lamp.)

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Once we had all our pieces figured out, we combined them all on the same board and got them working together with the code to function in the way that our final product would function.

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We sketched out an idea of the physical form of our product which consisted of two main parts: a base and some sort of cover that goes over the NeoPixel ring that diffuses the light. Our initial concept (below) was okay but looked too much like a jar on top of a box. We also ran into issues when it came time to frost the glass top. We kept the concept for the base and proceeded to laser cut out the holes we would need to allow for the microphone and the LCD screen to be set in the actual form of the project.

The shots below show the process of creating the base. This process consisted of using the laser cutter to cut out holes for the light cover, LCD screen, and microphone. 

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We stained the base of the box to give it a clean and polished feel. The inside of the box is hollow and acts as a holding place for the components of our lamp which include the breadboard, Arduino, LCD screen, microphone, NeoPixel ring, and a portable USB charger which we are using to power our lamp. We used a  frosted glass jar as the light cover. This new jar was much smaller than the original jar we had in mind and ended up adding to the overall look and feel of the final prototype.

S/P/A Diagram (Cassie, Angela, and Mike)

Sensing/Processing/Actuating Summary

For our sound sensing lamp concept, we're planning on using one sensor and two actuators with everything connected and controlled via an Arduino Uno. 

Sensing Approach

Our lamp will need to be able to sense sound levels in shared living situations like an apartment or dormitory.

To do this, we’ll need to sense sound from the area surrounding the lamp. After some unsuccessful attempts with other cheaper options, we ultimately landed on the MAX9814 microphone amplifier with automatic gain control as our sound sensor of choice.

Processing Logic

Our lamp will require an Arduino sketch that can take in the analog data coming from our our microphone sensor.

If the sound levels exceed our defined noise threshold 5 times in a 30 second period (tracked using millis()), then we'll activate our LEDs and LCD interface.

Actuating Approach

When the noise level becomes too high, the lamp will respond by turning on our neopixel LED ring, displaying a solid red color. Alongside the light, we also plan to use an LCD screen to display a warning message.

Light Up Ottoman Prototyping

Much of our prototyping process evolved around doing the individual elements (both physically making them and coding) and then figuring out how to put everything together.

First, we started by building a digital people counter. We were able to create a laser/photoresistor line which could tell if people entered a room. We made 2 of these, to determine if someone is leaving or entering a room. If the value of the photoresistor suddenly decreases, it means that someone is in front of it and depending on their direction, the counter will either add or subtract a number of people from the room. Our aim for this was to create a product that would only light up when 1 person is in the room. 

Here is the photoresistor setup. It works when a laser pointer is shined at it. 

Next, we figured out the capacitive sensor and how we could use that to turn on LEDs. Below is the functional diagram we used to get this working. 

When the person in the room pets the furniture, it changes color. We liked the idea of having multiple sections on the furniture which react differently to petting, and if you pet for different amounts of time, the furniture reacts differently, so we created multiple capacitive sensors and added total time to our code. It was exciting to figure out how to keep track of sensed time and change actuation based on this input! 

Next we started to actually create the physical prototype. We purchased an ottoman from Goodwill, which we planned on adding lights to and reupholstering. Most of our time during this stage was spent in the Mill soldering. Our finished product has 51 LEDs, and each light has 6 soldering joints, so we successfully soldered over 300 times! We definitely got pretty good at it by the end of the project. We bought a 100 pack of LEDs, so we have extras and both of us want to use them in the future to create some other fun product. 

We soldered all of the lights together into a long snakelike chain. As we were transporting the line around, some of the wires between the plastic and the solder joint got frayed and it would break or short circuit. This was a big problem, but we found a solution in hot glue! If we glued over the back and sides of the LEDs after we soldered them, there would be a protective layer which would prevent breakage. This worked really well, but we had a few connections that were iffy, which made the whole string of lights flicker. We ended up taking the glue off some of them and redoing the soldering. 

Next, we connected the string of lights to the actual furniture. Once the lights were attached, we began experimenting with the Neopixel code to see what patterns and colors we looked best on the ottoman. We attached the capacitive sensors and connected the different codes to the sensors so that they would elicit different reactions. The final step was to cover the furniture in fur!

Concept Presentation with S/P/A diagrams — Jack + Alex

Final Product

We created a backyard table to bring warmth to the dining experience. The table responds to interaction as people come to sit and eat. Specifically, as people come together, the dining experience would become physically more enjoyable as the lights become warmer, setting the mood. As more people sit down and interact with each other the experience becomes more enjoyable. Finally, when the dinner reaches a peak moment of interaction, the table will take a picture so that everyone there can remember the moment.

Heres our final video!

S/P/A Shy Seating

Shy Seating:

Celebrating Moments of Solitude with Your Furniture

Processing

Number of people in room

Input:

How many people enter the room

Sensors:

Video

“Tripwire” - laser and photoresistor

* small laser pointer used for tripwire

Affectionate behavior

Input:

Petting

Sensors:

Capacitive (touch)

Calm voice

Input:

Volume/tone of voice

Sensors:

Audio sensor

Processing

Number of people in room

Code:

If photoresistor values are stable number, laser is hitting it

Else someone is in front of the laser, person is entering or leaving room

Affectionate behavior

Code:

If/else - behavior present when touching fabric

Calm voice

Code:

If an “inside voice” is detected, the acturation will proceed

Else (if yelling or high volume voice is sensed) actuation is stopped.

Actuation

Number of people in room

Output:

Lights, chirp

Actuator:

LED lights (LED strip, light up fabric/thread)

Speaker

Affectionate behavior

Output:

Lights, sound, movement

Pattern TBD

Actuator:

LED lights (LED strip, light up fabric/thread)

Speaker

Electromagnet

Calm voice

Output:

Lights, sound, movement

Pattern TBD

Actuator:

LED lights (LED strip, light up fabric/thread)

Speaker

Electromagnet

Inspiration