Mini Project 2 &Process | Madeline Morales

So this project is the beginning of the basic idea for my final project. The idea is that it's a computer that acts human, and reacts with anxiety when approached. It dislikes being on display, and will try to deter onlookers when they are close. The project is inspired by my friend, who suffers from extreme anxiety and will grow distressed when in public. I wanted to create an image of her that represents her without actually displaying her, and I'm also really interested in the extreme juxtaposition between something that's all wires and programming and comparing it to a living person with feelings.

When an onlooker is more than 24 inches away, the screen reads "can I help you?", when they are less than 10 inches away, the screen reads "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Within 10-24 inches, the screen reads "what do you want?" I'm also in the process of getting the DC motor to act as a deterrent to the viewer, spinning incredibly fast when within 10 inches, moderate speed between 10-24, and not spinning at all when greater than 24 inches away.

Update: Charlie convinced me to use a vibrator instead of a DC motor, which I ended up liking better. After some struggles soldering those tiny motor wires to some more thick wires so I can plug it into my breadboard, I have a very aggravated robit.

After introducing her to the class (and others) as Daena, I found that people tend to personify her even as they critique her. Just by giving her a name, people's interactions with her alter. I also noticed that people would visibly jump, startled, after her rattling became more severe, which is something I really love. I'm very happy with how this project came out. 

The vibrator I believe draws too much current, which messes up the text on the LCD screen. At first it frustrated me, but I actually ended up liking it, and the group thought it was intentional and were fans of the glitch text because it seemed to convey a very extreme distress. I want to fix the issue with the current, and also figure out how to control the glitch text to incorporate it with my final project.