Safety Shell

By exaggerating (or reiterating) the need to communicate with others through this shell device, it becomes a parody of communication and the need to understand.  Clearly we do not walk around every day needing some sort of visual communication device to indicate to others that we are turning left, or right, or braking when we are on foot.  We typically use these signals while we are in some kind of vehicle which is an extension of our body but does not allow us to communicate with body language (which would indicate which way we are turning, or if we are going to stop somewhere).  Additionally, of course, we use those signals on vehicles to prevent damage because a collision that occurs between metal vehicles is much more severe than a collision occurring between two bodies.  Nevertheless, the art piece is activated because the Safety Shell references that method of communication used with vehicles and transplants it directly onto the body (with no vehicular mediator).  It raises questions about how we communicate with one another, and why we communicate in the ways we do, or why we don't communicate using methods other than the ones we use.  What is this need to communicate and what is the best way to interact with one another?  All these questions and more are asked but not answered in this project.      

Project Progress

Safety Shell Progress

Project 11, 14, 13, 12, 6, 5, 4 (respectively)

Crit Post

I thought crit went just as well as it could considering the circumstances with the weather. Everyones projects turned out great and I really had a lot of fun with them. It would have been way more exciting if we could have lead the class from FAC to the GradHouse instead of just aimlessly walking around the first floor of FAD. Most people mentioned the overall shape of the object and the size of it. Many people said they liked the largeness of the object and that it helped emphasize the concept. It was divided amongst people who said they think we should have added extra gadgets and safety objects to the device. I think the device would have standed better as a piece if it was a little bit more ridiculous. Like bright colors for the object and additional sensors such as the gas sensor and the carbon monoxide sensor. Maybe this project can see the light of day again next semester.

All of the code in each of its stages are visible on my GitHub:
https://github.com/tgreena/Sensors/tree/master/SensorsProject2

The Fritzing Diagrams are available for download on my GitHub:
https://github.com/tgreena/Sensors/tree/master/SensorsProject2/Fritzing


In the works


Example


Wearing it

I am going to have work with my internship emailed to you tonight.

The pre-pre-final post. (Get it?)

I am going to write mostly in this post and we are going to post all of our pictures and videos tomorrow. The first thing I have to say is, I wish we had more time to work on this project… You were so right about this project's end coming quickly!

I really can't think of a better way to sum up the concept other than, 'in the name of safety, where does it stop?'

We come up with laws (most specifically the 'click it or ticket' seatbelt law) that are meant to protect people, but ultimately we arent really protecting anyone and offenders of these laws are guilty of victimless crimes and have to go through the stress of going to court and/or have to pay fines. It just doesn't make sense to me that we would penalize people for these things. If someone doesn't wear their seatbelt when they are driving and they get into a wreck, the joke is on them. Laws should protect people from other people.

 I really don't know what to refer to the piece as, I want to call it a shell, and I love the idea of it being a shell because that really goes along with the concept very well so from now on I am going to refer to it as a shell.

I really enjoyed watching the Star Trek episode about metaphors. I am trying to figure out the difference between what a metaphor and what an analogy is, and I just haven't gotten that 'eureka' moment with them yet. I know for a fact that I think in analogies. Like for a lot of things. Is that a weird thing to know? A metaphor is literal comparative description, while an analogy is just a comparative description? I think of this project as an analogy of the current day seatbelt and drug laws, but in an overly exaggerated way. This shell is like these laws in the sense that it is there for you to protect you, to keep you safe, but is it really protecting you from anything? Are these laws really protecting you from anything? This shell is LIKE the laws. The like makes it an analogy. How can I make this a metaphor? "This shell is the laws". Well thats how, but that doesn't make sense to me.

The piece consists of a 'shell' that one would wear on their back. The shell is equipped with left and right blinkers, brake lights, and a horn. The features are operated by buttons held in both hands.  I am going to talk about the project how it is now.  My hesitation with calling it a shell is simply because, well, I just don't think it looks enough like a shell that it will be identifiable to viewers as a shell. Looking at it now, I think that black was not a good choice for it. If safety was really the objective, I think making the shell a more visible color would have benefited it not only in a safety sense, but in a  shell sense as well. I am thinking of a more super mario style red or green shell.

I am interested in taking this project further. I mentioned to Amy about me possibly continuing on with this project next semester, but that is still up in the air. I really would like to have had Amy in my group to continue with the project because she had really great ideas, but she won't be in our class next semester. There is still a possibility, but not until further discussion with her. We mentioned a lot of extra features being added to the shell such as gas sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, etc. This is where I am stuck, I want this shell to be an item that is farfetched, but plausible. Plausible in the sense that, in one parallel universe, everyone wears them because if you didn't wear one you would get a ticket for putting yourself in danger by not wearing your shell. How do you balance getting your point across by making it ridiculous, but keeping it seemingly realistic enough that one could see it in some future.

Now to see what people think in crit.
ps I dont think there is anything to get.

In the name of safety, where does it stop.

So we have come up with a proposal for exactly what we are going to be doing for our final project. We have decided that we are going to make a vest/harness/bookbag attachment that one would wear that is fixed with a left and right blinker, as well as a brake light. The left and right blinkers will be made of either (hopefully) two LoL matrices of LED's (if that is not possible because it is too late, we are going to improvise. We were thinking that the left and right blinker will be activated with buttons. I was even thinking… if at all possible, maybe accelerometers? I'm not sure if that would really work though, buttons is probably the safest bet.

I am going to talk about conceptually what this project means to me because I think both of our ideas conceptually were a little different although we are totally on the same track. Here is my side:

To me, he device is intended to be worn as a user walks, runs, bikes, skateboards, pretty much all the time, and it is intended to, well, make them safer. I kind of want to show the device as if it was a serious product, actually intended to save people from injury. Coming up with ridiculous stats about the object

-reduces the number of human to human collisions by more than 80%
-saves people walking from injury by letting others around them know which way you are going
-proven effective safety device in several scientific studies*
-increases life expectancy by over 10 years
-if you don't wear this vest you are going to die!
*not actually scientists

My favorite thing about this piece is how it can be taken as a complete joke, or as a totally serious product depending on how you put the spin on it. I want to maybe even like make an advertisement or something for the product we could display next to it. If time permits of course.

I think this piece can really mock laws in society that are intended and publicized as if they protect us. Every offender of this law is charged with a crime that had absolutely no victim. Other crimes such as speeding or drunk driving actually do have a victim, society, the person that they accidentally killed when they lost control of their car because they were going too fast. By not wearing your seatbelt, the only person you have put in danger is yourself. I always wear my seatbelt, but I don't wear it because they told me to, I wear it because I don't want to die in a car accident. I think the whole reason they have the 'seatbelt law' is so they can profile people and pull them over with little to no reason, and if the person asks for a reason, all they have to say is they looked like they weren't wearing a seatbelt. I don't know. Maybe I'm a conspiracy theorist. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm right.

Back to the harness/vest: to me this device poses the question:

'In the name of safety, where does it stop?
'In the name of safety, when does it stop?
'In the name of safety, when will it stop?
'In the name of safety, when will they stop?
'In the name of safety, where will they stop?

I'm not really sure which way is the best way to word it.




This article is sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving

project 17 and 18

Project 18 Beginning Arduino

Project 17, Chapter 6 beginning Arduino

pics!

Temperature Sensors

Temperature Sensor
Project 36



Temperature Sensor
Project 37
Part 1


Temperature Sensor
Project 37
Part 2

Pressure sensor hooked up to the LCD screen

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y2DRi5Alvgs


Pressure sensor hooked up to the LCD screen

Pressure Sensor / LCD Screen

Liquid Crystal Library + Project 24

Autoscroll

Blink

Cursor

CustomCharacter

Display

HelloWorld

Scroll

SerialDisplay

setCursor

TextDirection

Project 24:

Skycraft!!!