Uncategorized, Week 15

Drunk Hunt : A Drinking Game

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Drunk Hunt

Lucy Morcos & Leah Fried

A drinking game for all. The premise is still safe, drunken fun but is less about your safety and more about the fun. We are inquiring how you can turn someones BAC level into something for your and everyone else’s selfish enjoyment.

Breakdown of the game:

The game can have 2-4 players (could be unlimited but we only made 4) racing against one another to collect the most drunk people as possible.

The player must wear two things :

1. The headband which features one small and one large LED light strip and one mq-3 alcohol gas sensor.

2. The fanny pack (Look Ma! No hands!) holds the potentiometer, button, Arduino and the rest of the batteries and wires.

The objective of the game is to run around and find drunk people, guess how drunk they might be, get them to breathe into your headband, use the potentiometer to make an educated guess of the value (Sober <—> Drunk) and press the button.

The breath sensor is located above the wearer’s ear, so they quite literally have to whisper drunken nonsense into your hear in the most awkwardly, flirtatious way possible. The tiny LED strip (3 pixels) is right above the sensor and displays a color value that matches the BAC value. This is to give the drunk person an idea of what their level is. If it’s blue, they’re pretty sober. If it’s red, they should go to a hospital. etc

The knob and button are located on the front of the fanny pack (because this game needed to be more awkward). So you can have free hands.

What happens?

If you guessed correctly, you get a point! The point will be displayed on the larger light strip by two illuminated LED pixels.

If you guessed incorrectly, nothing happens!

First one to get a total of 6 points (12 LED pixels total) your head band will go into PARTY MODE (rainbow flashing lights) and is declared the WINNER.

Quick code breakdown:

The code works in a pretty simple way. The values are read from both the potentiometer and the breath sensor. There is a switch case that is determined by their amount of points. If the button is pressed while the two values are in the same range, it moves up a case.

Video of the first time we got it to properly add points and respond to our code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN4w4AhjmNo

Leah modeling it:

leahwearstechnology leahwearstechnology2

Resources

Biofabricate Symposium

9,136 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIOFABRICATE_ExhibitorDescriptionForm_Page_1

http://www.biofabricate.co

Check out the website!!

Annelie and I were both involved in Biofabricate last week. The event was a full day of talks and workshops with speakers involved in biofabrication of future materials for products and industry.

Annelie helped to organize the event and I worked with Genspace in designing and setting up  a pop up lab for people to come and interact with some of the material being talked about i the conference.

Artists and designers had projects displayed which used grown material and the building blocks life to  manufacture objects and material.

I had some work displayed within the pop up labs exhibition area of Genspace members projects.

 

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Genspace Pop Up Lab

We wanted to create a space where people could come and interact with some of the materials being presented in the conference.

 

 

 

 

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Fungal Shoes

How can we utilize fashion to create new understandings of the bodies interaction with biomaterials?

Fungal Shoes offer a new foot fungus; a type of foot covering that can begin to transform our relationship with fungi. Negative connotations of feet and fungus can be reshaped through the growth of mycelium shoes, allowing for new sustainable methods to create objects accepted within culture. Fungal shoes were grown in the lab, using a mycelium culture grown using DIY methods from a grocery store mushroom. They are displayed in progress to highlight the process of growth and show the steps involved in mycoproduction.
Uncategorized

Steph and Birce – Final – Crying Dress 2.0

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After the mid-term project we decided that we wanted to continue our study and experimentation of liquid and garments, essentially a Crying Dress 2.0. We wanted to build on feedback from the original crying dress and add other elements. For instance, we researched bioluminescent phytoplankton that lives in the Maldives. We aesthetically liked their glowing pattern and wanted to mimic it and incorporate it into the crying dress. glow 02

Another improvement we wanted to make was to more realistically capture the motion of rolling tears. The look of the first crying dress was very medical and the water flowed through tubes. This time, instead, we wanted the water to be free falling and roll of the fabric in a manner more similar to crying.

Lastly, we wanted to improve the concept conceptually. The first dress, one had to activate the motor. With the second version, the user puts on a mask with a sensor, as if masking their genuine emotions, and  triggers the motor to start pumping water.

 

The look is assembled in three parts essentially. A waterproof dress that the water can bead off. The dress also has pockets that contain the pump, circuit, and water reservoir. A mask that has a sensor that trigger the motor to begin pumping water. A necklace through which the water is pumped and drops onto the dress.

Why/Inquiry: How can we capture emotion in a garment? What is the emotional reaction of the observer of the dress? How does the dress affect the wearer; is it therapeutic, calming, or have the opposite effect? Does the observer perceive tears of joy or sadness?

 

Materials used:

Waterproof/Nylon fabric

Plastic Tubing

Water pump

Glow water (highlighter soaked in water)

crying dress 2.0 b

In order to mimic the glowing effect of bioluminescent organisms, we soaked a highlighter in water. Different color highlighters produced different levels of glow when shined with the UV light. For instance the green and yellow shine the brightest. The different colors can be used to convey different moods and different sources of tears based on the wearer.

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crying dress 2.0 a

Assignments, Uncategorized, Week 16

Beyond: Mycelium

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Ali and Annelie- Final Project:

Beyond: Mycelium
What we’ve explored:

We  have created a DIY magnetic stirrer to oxygenate our cultures

using a laser cut plexiglass box, a computer fan some magnetics and a bit of tinkering, we’ve designed an efficient, cheap stirrer to provide oxygen to our growing cultures.

We’ve explored and designed different growth substrates using different sources of sugars  and nutrients

Explored the interaction between fungi and electricity (see gallery) based on research on the relationship in nature between fungi and lightning, this research has driven us to continue exploring this. We created different set ups to create a current through the agar medium in petri dishes we inoculated with mycelia.

The preliminary results of this research indicate that a plate modified with electric current from a 9V battery has increased the growth rate compared to non electrified cultures and a culture with similar set up that has not had the electric current for as long a time. We’ve also created a plate modified with magnetic filings and used a magnet to affect the culture.
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We will continue to go forward with this research and will possibly look to an electrical engineer to hep analyze and create an ideal set up for this experiment. We may look for the scar caused by lightning to develop similarly in the mycelia to the scars that form in nature and on skin, but need to further research this phenomenon.

We’ve explored briefly the use of molecular gastronomy to create knew methods of growth. We used alginate and calcium lactate to attempt spherification of the media which will be inoculated with mycelium.

We will continue to grow our liquid cultures and hope to in the future grow more material to begin to understand how we will use it.

Research document:

myceliumresearchdocument

 

What is Mycelium?

“Mycelium is the vegetative part of fungi, which consists of a network of interconnected filamentous cells called hyphae. The mycelium of mushroom- forming basidiomycetes is highly attractive and embodies a great potential, because of its tendency of growing on a wide variety of substrates, therefore resulting into a range of diverse materials and applications, related to the architecture and the design fields. Moreover, this organic network of filamentous cells is characterised by peculiar properties, such as strength, elasticity, thickness, homogeneity and water repellency.”

What is currently be done with mycelium?

Currently mycelium is being used in the art and design world for various applications. The strong fibers of mycelium works wells as a natural alternative to wood, cork and plastics and can also be easily shaped into both structural materials such as insulation and decorative artifacts such as lampshades and homeware. It is also produced in a more energy efficient way than conventional manufacturing.

What we would like to explore?

The use of mycelium as an alternative building material is revolutionary and is proving that there are natural alternatives to our current ways of manufacturing, but within the discipline of mycoculture itself there has not been much experimentation and it seems that the majority are using the fibres in a composite of materials and the actual chemistry beyond the physiology is not being explored.

We would like to see how we can go beyond the current methods of growing and using mycelium cultures and with this explore new material solutions. We hope to achieve this through a series of experiments addressing these two parts of mycoculture:

  1. Growing Mycelium
  2. Fabricating with Mycelium

Growing Mycelium

Current research with mycelium involves the growth of material in organic decaying substrates. We propose an alternative approach, we will be growing pure mycelium in a liquid culture using experimentally designed methods, based on research in the industrial production of mycelium for medicinal use.

After our tour to the Industry City Distillery we have been doing a lot of research into growth optimisation and found that the same alginate that is used to keep the yeast growing at optimal temperature and Ph level can be used as a substrate for the growth of mycelium in liquid culture. We will definitely be exploring this avenue when we get to the growing of larger masses of mycelium.

We will also be prototyping a DIY bioreactor to further optimize the growth of the material.

Fabricating with Mycelium

Fungi and electricity:

Lightning induces fruiting of mushrooms in nature

We would like to scale down this interaction between fungi and electricity by creating a modified petri dish experiment that will test the effect of electrical current on the growth of fungal cultures.

There is also currently some interest within the science world in the perceived conductivity of mycelium. As per our previous project we would like to continue this research with more scientific backing.

Fungi as fabric:

We are hoping to move away from the composite use of mycelium to explore the chemical makeup of the hyphae and see if there is a way in which we can use this fibre for fabric or as alternative to cotton or yarn.

 

The cultures:

Reishi

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Ghost fungi

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Chicken of the Woods

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Shiitake

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Mycelium + Electricity

 

Modifying the Jar:
Creating the ideal vessel for liquid cultures

 

Oxygenating cultures: the magnetic stirrer

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[We will be creating a diy magnetic stirrer to facilitate the growth of mycelium liquid cultures within an incubator box to achieve the ideal temperature for the organisms. This drawing is a box that has a computer fan inside with magnets attached, then a magnetic bar is placed within the liquid culture and when placed on the box, the stirring is produced from the rotations of the fan. This design allows the stirrer to be portable, and we can create a setup with multiple fans set up to allow us to stir many cultures at one time in a controlled setting.

Making the special containers for growth of mycelium. The jars are modified with two holes in the lid, one is stuffed with poly fill filling and the other is filled with RTV (autoclavable) silicone. The silicone is a seth healing injection port for the insertion of syringe needles, and the polyfill acts as a filter allowing oxygen into the jar.

And lastly, we have begun to create a modified petri dish setup with which we will test fungi’s response to electricity. We are interested in this after reading about fungi’s relationship with lightning and we are looking to simulate this interaction in the lab.]

IMG_8789 IMG_8792IMG_8897 IMG_8896 dried samples

 

 

 

Uncategorized

Soundsorial 2

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Team: Natasha Lewandrowski & Yuchen Zhang

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Soundsorial 2, mobile application prototype

Description
Soundsorial 2 is a mobile device that lets you detect and visualize particulate matter in the air wherever you go using your phone.

In our first iteration of Soundsorial, we made a wearable instrument in the form of a pair of wooden headphones that created audioscapes based on dust levels in the surrounding environment. Our goal was to create a portable device that would allow wearers to sense air quality information in their immediate area as a way to promoted mindfulness about environmental issues.

Their were two main issues with our first design. First, the headphones were inflexible, which meant they only fit limited range of head sizes. With out second iteration we wanted to come up with a more inclusive form factor. Second, our headphones used piezo speakers, which limited the range of sounds we could produce to beeps and buzzes. These sounds were unpleasant for wearers to listen to and thus would not encourage use of the device.

Goals
Our goal for the second half of the semester was to address these two issues. One idea we had was to create a mobile application that would pair with the headphones. We presented our first version of this idea together together with the headphones at the NYC Media Lab on November 6th. The feedback we received was generally positive, but underlined the need for a more integrated presentation.

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Chen presents Soundsorial at NYC Media Lab
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View of Soundsorial table at NYC Media Lab

Usability Test
Chen conducted a usability evaluation on the Soundsorial device as part of an assignment for another class. We used the feedback she received from participants in the redesign of our device. Chen tested the device on ten users. She set it up as if it was in gallery setting, on a pedestal accompanied by a short written description of the project. Before she let them interact with the device, she asked people what sound they expected it to make and how they thought in might turn on. Then she let the users try the device. Once they were done she asked them how they felt about the sound, shape, and texture.

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Usability Evaluation

Findings
Many of Chen’s findings reflected what we already knew, however the test gave us new insights as well. Five out of six participants thought the device should activate automatically when they put it on. Testers thought the device should either, play nature sounds, like birds or crickets, or play music. They also mentioned that the particle levels should introduce static into the pleasant sounds. Participants liked the wooden material visually, but disliked the fact that the headphones were not adjustable.

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User Test Documentation
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Participant testing Soundsorial

Redesign
We brainstormed ideas for how the new device might look and function. We considered a couple of options, including a redesigned headset, a pin that could be clipped to the body, and a phone case. At this stage we are thinking that a phone case might be the best option for several reasons.

First, It solves the sizing issue while allowing us to keep the wooden aesthetic. Second, it lets us to utilize the built-in capabilities of the phone to produce better quality sounds and visualizations. It also opens up the possibility of tracking positional data, and connecting to existing APIs in order to compare Soundsorial’s sensor data to information published by other sources.

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Headphone concept sketches
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Pin concept sketches

Software Mockup
We created mockups of the software by connecting the existing Soundsorial device to the Processing development environment. We tried many variations before arriving at our final design. We experimented with various types of sound, and displaying the particle information in different ways.

Final
Ultimately we decided to keep it visually simple. We used a web cam to capture what the device is seeing so that the user could use the device to “see” the invisible particles in the air. The number of particles increases and decreases based on the dust level readings.

For the app mockup demonstration we used a program called LiveView to show the Processing sketch on a mobile phone. It shows how the app might be used on a mobile device.

Other Processing Experiments
Below is a selection of videos documenting some of our other Processing experiments. In this version the particles change color when they reach a certain threshold. This could be used to indicate that they have reached a dangerous level.

In this version we created a graph of the data.

In these versions we tried using text and an image of pollen as the particle.

Enclosure and Next Steps
Below are images of a clip-on version of the enclosure. In order to make this into a sellable device the hardware would have to be miniaturized. The goal here is simply to show proof of concept. Ideally we would like to include other sensors in the case as well, for example a carbon monoxide sensor and a humidity sensor. This data could be visualized in the app as well. The device would connect to the phone app via bluetooth. Once miniaturized we could potentially fit the sensor into a phone case as well.

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SoundSorial 2 with box
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Soundsorial 2 front view
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Soundsorial 2 back view
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Soundsorial 2 side view

Link to Final Presentation https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5WRGcXRY9vvODFZT29XZEdqZFE/view

Uncategorized

Green Wall

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Team: Jimmy Tang, Ziqu Zou, Norma Chan

Final Project:

We purpose to build an Algae Carbon Dioxide Scrubber for our final project. Algae carbon dioxide scrubber is a device absorbing and filtering carbon dioxide (CO2). Some of the usage existing are from industrial plants (filter pollution exhausted) or spacecrafts for astronauts (life support system). We strive to re-purpose this method to be accessible and sustainable within a home setting. By using greener material to filter air, we could possible reduce a higher degree of carbon footprint. Could this device be designed as part of the blueprints of our homes?

Background:

Breathing is fundamental for humans. animals and plants to stay alive. Do you know what exactly we are breathing into our bodies? The air in the city is different then rural locations. The inventions of the city: cars, electricity, air condition, and heat create bad gases which pollutes air.  Air pollution are poisonous and may be dangerous for the human body. What we described above are happening outdoors with the most populated and developed cities. However, air pollution may also occur within the warmth of our homes called indoor air pollution. The level of pollution indoor may be lower then outdoor. Fresh paint, burning of fuel such as coal, gas, in heaters, stoves and ovens may cause indoor air pollution. The home must be ventilated by opening the windows or use a fan to reduce indoor air pollution.

By using algae as biofuel, we may create world’s supply of oil, while decreasing amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Algae may also be used as food or fertilizer. This project is not only sustainable, but also adaptable to fit inside of the home environment.

Where is it used?

Algae Carbon Dioxide Scrubber (ACDS) are often used by hobbyists in saltwater and freshwater pound aquarium to simulate an environment like nature. Just like oceans, ACDS uses natural filtering process.

Using algae to reduce CO2 is a known algae-based “Carbon Capture Technology”. Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) is a process to capture CO2 from a large source, transporting it to a storage site, and depositing usually underground where it would not enter the atmosphere. Factories and power plants may also maintain their own ACDS to filter industrial pollutants and gases. Algae may use these power plant exhausts to generate green-oil and fuel.

How it works?

Algae scrubber depends on light to grow algae. The carbon dioxide consumed by algae would release oxygen.

Prototype 1:
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The first prototype is a portable breathing device created with a glass bottle, tube, and an oxygen mask. A hole is made on the top to feed through the tube connecting to the algae and oxygen mask.

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Prototype 2:

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prototype2

http://utopianfrontiers.com/2-examples-of-algae-based-carbon-capture-technology-1-co2-absorbing-street-lamps-2-rd-plant-related-technology-followed-by-overview-of-carbon-capture-and-storage-historybackground/