Mrunmayee
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ENVIRO-SENSE
Thoughts before class- the thought of playing around with sensors sounded really dynamic
which also involved a lot of pro-active work as opposed to mass producing
layouts for some static work
in some corner which i have already had an overdose of!
Also, playing around with the sensors is something i have never done before.
Idea of learning something completely new,really fascinated me!!!
Week 1: 8th - 9th July
Course: EnviroSense Introduction to 1) technology and information 2) arduino 3) processing 4) begiining processing 5) beginning - nested loop 6) sensors
- A basic intro to Technology(analogue vs. digital) and information and discussions on What is the Role of Artists & Designers in this science driven project?
- What could be the possibilities for artists in handling data which is so scientific in nature?
- Some of the above questions triggered off thoughts about the role of an artist/designer to make knowledge more accessible for masses /it's Social utility/political role etc.
Reading: "Acoustic ecology"-David Dunn - Concepts and Thoughts: - observation as participants - characteristics of the environment as a mental space or a whole - interventions and ways of looking at it - scope of music/sound in science and art - environmental/ecological art - possibilities in my head in terms of theoretical, philosophical and technical learning - application of vc skills in such a space?
9th July
The day was spent mostly getting oriented to processing. A series of quick exercises involving:
1) for loop
2) if then conditions
3) checkerboard
4) color switch- key pressed
10th July - key pressed
11th July - introduction to arduino board
LED - pics - bread board
Taking reference from a circuit diagram, made a successful "Knight-rider" connection. It was the first time i had made a circuit connection outside my Physics Lab in Junior College.
There was this content feeling at the end of the class.
The Knight-Rider connection
Week 2: Monday 13th
Another discussion: Who is the audience? - The people...
from an artist's perspective discussions on changing the policy from an artist's point of view..
Aam jantaa's pre-conceived notions:
It is all hi-tech..and we can't do it!
Through this project how we addressed this question that - it is te knowledge that can be easily made available to this aam jantaa - it is all about logic!
Victor's presentation - glob@s in the air
in the air interface- tracking the pollution levels in the air of madrid.
A sudden expectancy of the standard of work in the class..everyone in the class is a bit numb about it.
HW
Yashas trying to be different! A large number of our parliamentaries ...Map out how many MP's belong to political dynasties.. (visually)
14th JULY
Experimenting further using loadimage+Text.
Map using mouseX and mouseY function, random function, second
The need to sit down in one place and understand the logic behind these codes can really test one's patience!
The approach of getting oriented with the technical process which will help yo understand the possibilities of using Processing and Arduino
and then later translating it all into some sort of a product/device to track pollution levels in air.
15th July
Readings/ research: Readings on Arduino.
Arduino: Fiddling around with Arduino some more, trying to understand the language. We moved on to a round sensor, made the necessary connections, and got it working.
We visualised the data coming in using processing, to recheck if the values were correct and the sensor was functioning properly, and because the data made so much more sense when visualized. To take it a step further, we added sound and led lights to our connection. By the end of the day (after much connecting and reconnecting) we built a sensor that controlled a tune played through a piezo speaker, and made a led flash simultaneously at the same tempo. IT ALL WORKED IN SYNC.. i gave a pat on my back.. (smiles)des..
People kept on borrowing codes.. with the help of bharath(the sound-pro), the code was successfully written. Healthy sharing of codes was happening!
Code for playing a Melody in sync with the Blinking LED.
int flexPin = 0;
int val;
int beat;
int speakerPin = 9;
int ledPin = 13;
int length = 15; // the number of notes
char notes[] = "c cg g aa gf fe ed d c "; // a space represents a rest
int beats[] = { 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4 };
int tempo = 150;
void setup () {
pinMode(speakerPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode (ledPin, OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {
for (int i = 0; i < length; i++)
{
val = analogRead(flexPin);
if (val < 230) {
val = 0;
}
else {
val -= 230; // this is the same as val = val - 200;
}
Serial.println(val,DEC); // this is to read on the serial monitor
if (val != 0) {
tempo = val/2;
beat =beats[i]*tempo;
if (notes[i] == ' ')
{
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
delay(beats[i] * tempo); // rest
}
else {
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
playNote(notes[i], beats[i] * tempo);
}
}
}
}
void playTone(int tone, int duration) {
for (long i = 0; i < duration * 1000L; i += tone * 2) {
digitalWrite(speakerPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(tone);
digitalWrite(speakerPin, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(tone);
}
}
void playNote(char note, int duration) {
char names[] = {
'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'a', 'b'};
int tones[] = {
1915, 1700, 1519, 1432, 1275, 1136, 1014};
// play the tone corresponding to the note name
for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
if (names[i] == note) {
playTone(tones[i], duration);
}
}
}
It all seems like a herculean Task - but when it works, there is a satisfaction of another kind.
16 JULY
Work started on the building of the product. It was a Loo Door Bell- an alarm which modulated the pace of the sound according to the urgency.
WEEK 3: 20th - 24th JULY
Use of Pachube- to send received data from the environment to the micro-controller, to the the laptop, to the internet - where this data can be viewed as a visualization back on the laptop.
Making of the SWITCH - we made a switch using two aluminium plates. Our sensor would count the number of people that sat next to a fibre glass statue(Pooja) on campus (at Srishti, Old campus, outside the library). When they sat down, a Led in the statues mouth would light up and she would laugh in a funny way.
This can be viewed on pachube as ‘plonk on it’ and the readings using a counter can be seen on your laptop.
Using Pachube- code for arduino- to use sensors in an environment- "Sit on it" using a counter.
A link to the map, which will one day be embedded on the page[1]
Finally, wrote the code where the sound and LED blink would be in sync. This was all done using the new aluminium switch.
IT WORKED!! :)
CODE for making the 'mannequin POOJA' blink.
int switchPin = 2;
int ledPin = 13,ledPin2 = 12;
int val = 0,oldVal=HIGH;
void setup(){
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(switchPin, INPUT);
digitalWrite(switchPin,HIGH); // set up pull res
void loop(){
val = digitalRead(switchPin);
if(val== LOW) {
digitalWrite(ledPin,HIGH);
digitalWrite(ledPin2,HIGH);
if (oldVal == HIGH) {
Serial.print(LOW, BYTE);
oldVal = LOW;
}
}
else {
digitalWrite(ledPin,LOW);
digitalWrite(ledPin2,LOW);
Serial.print(HIGH, BYTE);
oldVal = HIGH;
}
//Serial.println(val, DEC); // this is to check on the serial monitor
delay(100);
}
WEEK 4
Keeping in mind the DIY ethic, we attempted to make our own microscope out of a web camera: the trick was simply to flip the lens around, connect it to the computer and install the necessary drivers
I used a cake coffe day cup as a fixation around the microscope.
Using either Pd(Pure Data)[2] or an inbuilt web cam(courtesy Sandeep)
to record what we saw in the form of a photograph or video.
The dirty water samples had something called water bears and other funny looking organisms.
Product Ideas
Initial brainstorming with Victor to get us started. Products, which would fit in all 4 domains, namely, domestic-urban and private-public.
So looking at local objects for inspirations, one idea that arose was to use the clothes-pin as pollution detectors at home.
Discussions with Victor led to ideas like using ambiguity and fiction to tell stories about products.
Subverting the meaning of the product-almost using these products as objects to get people into possible futures.
Looking around us for inspiration from more local objects. The idea was to use demon faces to pollution detectors.
What is the scope of this? Where can it fit in}-Tryig to make the microscopic world accessible to masses- one of the points that had come out while discussing the role of artists/designers!
building a microscope using webcams- inverting the lens
PureData:(Often used my artists in experimental spaces)
Intro to BioElectrnics: optical microscopy: 1) Bright Field: Using light (here,using LED)-Mostly B&W Images (Check out the DArk Side of the Cell)
2)Dark Field: Good for getting different colors
3)Fluorescence: A physical process
while playing around..efforts to translation into something more robust and feasible
WEEK 5
Orienting Rustom with the process of what we have been handling for the past 4 weeks
Trying to see meaning - why and what exactly we are looking in air pollution.
Other Discussions
Need to establish a standard- add value to what we are trying to say -make more meaning out of>- How do we approach this question?
Understanding the politics behind the air pollution LOCAL vs GLOBAL air pollution and the conflict between the two.
Who is the Audience?- the urban poor(they get affected the most)?? OR the policy makers(but the policy makers are mostly industrialists, which is why targeting the audience to create awareness)
A strategic location to place the device, the kind of information being gathered.
Strategies to be more effective: shock, guilt (using children to spread the message), selective targeting (policy makers)
Pinpointing the source of pollution in Bangalore: Construction sites, vehicles
By the end of it, we identified the types of people we could target:
- Policy makers/ Legal power (KSPB, Janaagraha, EPCA, Supreme court)
- Consumer class (urban, upper middle?)
- Political (parties)
- Industrial (TATAs etc)
- Media (flash mob, walks, newspaper, TV9)
Each category of people need to be approached differently, and we need to understand that.
So would we need like a separate Media Plan for all these identified groups?
How would the product-ideas fit into the categories Interventions/ Installations/ Concepts/ Functioning Products
Made a decision to work on 'Chimeaira'
Started work on it's mechanism, it's functioning-looking at it from a different perspective altogether.
WEEK 6
Product prototype: Chimeaira:
Initailly, the idea was to use wind chimes (run using a wind vane) made of 6 suspensions and a propeller in the middle which would strike against all the 6 suspensions. there would be a standard level of pollution (the chimes would move up when excessive pollution, and down when cleaner air). Initially, what was thought was the reading from these locations would be received at the chime.
The height of the central gong stood for the accepted air pollution level limit
DIVYA'S SKETCH
Another thought was to have a sensor in a moving vehicle which would give us a map of the pollution levels at different locations.
it was technically difficult to achieve, hence we moved onto other ideas.
Chime research[3]
Getting some help from Sudo to make the Wind-wane and finally progressing into making one!!
Week 6
Actual Prototyping Begins
Finally after endless attempts, Victor came to the rescue and we got the step up motor along with the gas sensor to work.
It took the whole week!
Prototyping
Attempts to make the motor work.Victor puts an end to all the restlessness.. yay!
In the meantime, the chime was going through a lot of changes.
DIVYA'S SKETCH
Changes:
- the chimes were substituted for bells(something more Indian)
- The biggest change was of the movement of the bells.<br
- The bells would now move in and out.
- In the proces, they would create a sound.
- In fresh air, they would move outwards (from the center) and swing freely in the wind.
- The sound of the bells was noe, completely motor-driven. We needed something that would actually control the movement of the chimes.
The wind vane is chucked and instead it was decided to use a motor.
The breathing of the chime-trying to give the chime a human quality of breathing
Eventually, work was started on the motor, then the gas sensor and then then trying to make everything work together.
Stages of Development of the CHIMERA
Week 7,8,9
The refining of the product and it's documentation
The whole week was mostly spent in trying to set one Visual language for the documentation book.
It was decided that the book would be an outcome of the whole10-week course and would have sections addressing:
- the making of every product(from A-Z).
- where this project is coming from?
- What do the scientists think of it.
- This new field of new media which has come up.
- The data visualisations of the readings.
- Marriage of art+technology which is evidently seen in this Enviro-Sense Project.
...and so on.
Trying to get content(articles) from everyone
Telling the groups to give in their documentation and photographs.
It took a while too collect content from EVERYONE!!
Chimera was almost done and it's final form looked like this
WEEK 10
The book was somewhat falling together in one piece.
From page breakers to laying out the complex product pages.it was all flowing out!
- It was also decided that every product would have like an advertising poster...those old vintage style-
saying "they the Product is out and collect yours before we are SOLD OUT!"
The rest of the product posters are in the process.
Will upload once done!
