Ultrasonic sensors are distance sensors that use sound waves to detect how far away an object is. They send out high frequency bursts of sound and listen for its echo. They then determine how far away the object is based on how long it takes for the sound to return to the sensor. This variety requires an Arduino library to operate.

NewPing Library

#include <NewPing.h>

NewPing mysensor(5, 6, 200);

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  int pingTime = mysensor.ping();

  int distance = mysensor.ping_in();

  int distance_cm = mysensor.ping_cm();

  Serial.println(distance);
}

Servos are specialized motors that support precise control. Rather than spinning off to oblivion like a motor, servos let the designer specify exactly where they want the object to rotate to. Most common servos allow for 180º of rotation.

#include <Servo.h>
Servo myservo;

void setup() {
  myservo.attach(9);
}

void loop() {
  int val = analogRead(A0);
  val = map(val, 0, 1023, 0, 179);

  myservo.write(val);

  delay(15);
}

LED Strips are individually addressable ribbons of RGB (red green blue) lights, meaning that each light on the ribbon can be controlled by itself and give off any color on the visible color spectrum. Every light on the strip has its own chip onboard that processes commands given to it by the Arduino.

NeoPixel Library

#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(30, 6, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

void setup() {
  strip.begin();
  strip.show();
}

void loop() {
  for (int i = 0; i < strip.numPixels();  i++) {
    strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.Color(255, 0, 0));
  }

  strip.show();

  delay(100);
}

#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_MotorShield.h>

Adafruit_MotorShield AFMS = Adafruit_MotorShield();

Adafruit_DCMotor *myMotor = AFMS.getMotor(1);
//Adafruit_DCMotor *myMotor = AFMS.getMotor(2);

void setup() {
     AFMS.begin();
}

void loop() {
     myMotor->setSpeed(255);
     myMotor->run(FORWARD);
     delay(1000);
}

You will be creating your presentation on the NuVu Platform.

Things to do/think about:

• Your presentation should be located in the Portfolio tab of your project.
• There should be (1) post titled with The Name of Your Project with all of the slides.
• You should have (1) post of a video of your project in action. Chances are people wont be able to see your work from and we can project a video of your project working.
• All slides should have a title. You can add titles when editing the post
• With the exception of the Title slide NO TEXT SHOULD APPEAR ON YOUR SLIDES.
• Only (1) image per slide. Images should be uploaded directly. Make sure that the images aren't pixelated! NO GOOGLE DOCS!!!
• Be sure to add your team members as collaborators and make the (2) posts Public.
• Only one team member can edit a post at a time!
• Presentations should be no longer than 3 minutes. PRACTICE!

1st Post : Title this post the Name of Your Project

Absolutely no more than 9 Slides!

1 Title/Intention Slide. For build projects, describe the Problem and Solution. For conceptual projects this can be expressed as Intention/Solution. The slide should include the name of the project and a one sentence statement of both the problem and the solution.

• One slide to show conceptual idea. 
• One slide to show mechanical or functional idea.

1 Concept Sketch. This should be a clean sketch of your initial ideas. If you do not have a nice drawing or lost yours, create one now!

2 Iteration Slides. These slides should show early prototypes of your design. Focus on big changes. You do not need to show tiny changes.

2-3 Final Slides. These should show clean images of your final project (these should be taken in the photo booth).

Text:

The text of your post should have a strong narrative that ties together the Why, How and What of your project through clear, cogent writing. Tell the story of how your idea was born, developed, and manifest.

The text should include the following 2 items:

1. A 1-2 sentence project description. 
2. A 1-2 paragraph brief for your project based on the description below.. The primary purpose of the text is to explain, entice, and convince the reader that your project is amazing and important. Imagine your project on display in the Museum of Modern Art. The text of your post is hanging on the wall next to your work. In 1-2 paragraphs, a viewer should understand what your project is, why it exists, and how you made it. More importantly, the viewer should be interested and care. You will draw them into your project through a compelling narrative.

Things to think about:

• The what is a clear statement of the thesis or problem+solution.
• The why explains how your project changes the world. It is the reason your project exists – what social issue is it engaging, who is your project helping, how does the project change the world, and what important social, intellectual, or technical questions does it raise?
• The how briefly explains what technical prowess, innovative methods, or cool materials you used in your solution.

Here is an example from Penelope the Pain-O-Monster:

Pediatricians and other doctors find it challenging to collect accurate self reported information from children about their level of pain due to lack of communication skills, fear, anxiety, and discomfort. Traditional 1-10 pain scales do not fully address these issues, often leading to uncomfortable children and inaccurate symptom information. Penelope the Pain-O-Monster is a cute plush toy that uses integrated pressure sensors to allow children to express their source and level of pain through play.     

Our previous project, The EmoOwl, helped children with autism to express themselves by translating motion into color. As we sought to expand our children’s health menagerie, we thought about making a different stuffed animal to help kids in hospitals. We quickly realized that the pain charts that patients used to express their pain could be made more interactive and easier for a child to use. We read that playing with stuffed animals can take the children’s mind off the pain so we created an additional “Fun” mode to distraction from pain and anxiety. The handcrafted stuffed animal uses force sensors in different body parts that light up from blue to red depending on how hard they are pushed to show the child’s pain level. It is our hope that Penelope will help sick children feel safer while providing more useful information to care providers. We anticipate that Penelope and the EmOwl will soon have many more friends to help improve healthcare for kids.

2nd Post: Video

Upload a short video showing your project in action. Do not count on your project working as you expect during the presentation.

Creators: Sofia Carlson, Haley Roach

Have you ever imagined what would happen if you could be more than human? Have you ever looked at the super powers of non-human species and wondered how we could attain the same? Could humans harness the powerful legs of a cricket to propel themselves with ballistic limb acceleration, camouflage themselves in an instant like the brilliant cuttlefish or have expressive wings that expand like a rifle bird to attract others in their ritualistic fashion? In Cyborg Enhancements, you will investigate the superpowers of the natural world and reappropriate these for human advancement. We will work with experts to uncover fascinating futuristic thinking and utilize the creative process to integrate these features into body extensions and hi-tech devices. We will uncover the newest advances in technology which are allowing humans to create smarter prosthesis and apply them to augment our bodies to work in the incredible ways that animals, insects and marine life can.

Throughout this studio, students will explore the power of digital design (computer aided drafting, 3D modeling) and rapid prototyping tools (laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC milling) micro electronics (Arduino), and body attachment techniques to create adaptive devices that push the limits of what it means to be a human.

REGISTER HERE!

Focus Skills/Subjects/Technologies:

   Industrial Design

     Interaction Design

   Fashion Design

   Physics (Electricity, Magnetism)

   Engineering

   Programming

   Electronics

   Robotics (Arduino, Sensors, Actuators)

   Digital Fabrication (Laser-cutting, 3d Printing)

   3d Modeling

Prerequisites:

• Enrolling students must be between the ages of 11 to 13 (or grades 6-8)

REGISTER HERE!