FIND YOUR CONNECTION
The Objective:
To use Arduino and Processing to create a connection between the data input and output, producing a physical representation.
Introduction:
With people constantly on the go and travelling far and wide, the connections between people are are constantly developing, changing and becoming more virtual. A crucial element in the design of the project is the connection between two people who are physically present at the time. The interaction with the installation produces the shortest path of light in three symbolic colours.
How it works:
Input: Pressure sensor as a switch
Output: Light from Neopixels projected through acrylic
The project is assembled by creating an LED Matrix with strips of Neopixels, eight strips of eight LEDS, wired in a series. Acrylic columns are glued on top of each LED so that the light is projected vertically along the z-axis. The paths of light are calculated so that they take the shortest route through the matrix.
Next, the 16 pressure sensors were made using a piece of velostat and two strips of copper tape placed on either side of the velostat. Each pressure sensor represents one of the 16 personalities.
The pressure sensors act as switches, sending signals to the Arduino which in return lights up a path in one of three colours, the connection.
Choosing the Colours:
The idea of warm, neutral and cold were the driving force behind choosing the colours. When two people each press a sensor, a path of light appears, the colour of which represents the level of compatibility between the two based on their personalities. Yellow, a warm colour, suggests that the personalities are well matched forming the best relationships(compatibility). White, a neutral colour, indicates neither well nor badly matched personalities, a possible relationship. Finally, blue, a colour considered cold, represents badly matched personalities and thus, an unlikely relationship.
Scaling Up:
The interesting aspect of this LED matrix and the connection between points is that it can be applied to many different live or stored data sets. Using the shortest path can be a particularly useful tool in showing data within cities especially when computing routes. In this case, the working area is a 400mm by 400mm square; however, this could be scaled up so that people could walk through it and the matrix size could vary too.
The Video:
Find Your Connection is a project of IaaC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed at Master in Advanced Architecture, 2018-2019 by:
Students: Daria Ciobanu-Enescu, Fiona Demeur, Juhi Bafna, Surayyn Uthaya Selvan, Maria Fechner, Hongyu Wang, Jose Isidro Pastor Tormo
Faculty: Angel Munoz and Cristian Rizzuti