Midterm
I’m tired of tweezers. Mostly because I have been tying little knots in conductive thread and soldering way to small LEDs. Why? you ask, to make a physical away message. What? is that you ask, you can refer to the PDF or SITE linked at the bottom, but basically, its a way to let the people around you (especially at ITP) that you are either ‘available’ or ‘occupied.’ This is accomplished through a necklace with a user control and LEDs. I worked in a group on this one, Jen Grier and Heather Rasley, and we decided we wanted to make a pretty and elegant object… that worked… so thats hard, esp when it has to be soft, and portable, and robust.
Technically, the Physical Away Message, or PAM, is not complex, two or three simple switches that control an analog circuit; but fabrication wise, it was a difficult little project. We ended up making five prototypes, each approached a little differently, using everything from surface mounted LEDs, lace, two types of conductive thread, latex tubing, zippers, snaps, magnets, tape, wire, batteries (coin and AA), metal jewelry cases, etc… Needless to say we learned a lot about fabrication, specifically small fabrication.
Although our PAM was a daunting and, by the end, aggravating process of: design, prototype, test, re-design, prototype, test, again and again; it was great being able to have multiple revisions of a project. Usually at ITP we have one go at something and are always let saying: “if I could do that again I would…,” but with this midterm we got to try it again.
Working in a group was also helpful, especially near the end when we started multi-threading the project (each making our own prototype). Actually, the team work aspect was really enlightening. I have worked in team many times, but usually with team work the problem is complex and big, so many people can work on it at once. But with our PAM, it was small, so really only one person could work on it at a time, not efficient. Next time, when faced with such a situation, I will try to design the production part to be more multi-threaded.
Overall I am satisfied with this project. I am glad its over though, the world of wearable electronics is tricky.
Links:
Midterm Presentation (Website)
Team: