Thermal Chair write up

 This chair is intended to provide thermal comfort for commuters.  Overall I feel the project was a success, the chair is very effective at cooling the occupant at its 160CFM capacity.  Please see poster PDF for full destription.Thermal Chair Concept Poster  

ferrofluid displays

crazy oil and electromagnets

Bruce Shapiro

interesting applications of lots of steppers and a lot more.

Bruce Shapiro Video

thermal comfort chair

For the non-vehicular (self-propelled) commuter, the Thermal Comfort Chair is intended to provide personal, localized thermal equilibrium primarily immediately following a commute. As a commuter arrives to work or home their metabolic rate is significantly higher than that of their coworkers. That commuter is unfortunately at the whim of the air handling system that cannot accommodate temporary, or personal needs. Rather than sweat it out, the Thermal Comfort Chair is an active heat sink for the body so you can return to equilibrium and obtain a productive comfort level.

vector fan

I built this “jet” from a couple 12 volt, 0.5 amp case fans that can move alot of air. I built a simple cardboard enclosure to regulate the outflow / thrust of the fans.

bug

I brazed together this robo-bug out of copper tubing and wire. It translates flex movement to rotational movement of its legs via braided bicycle cables. A pair of springs return the legs to their original position. The most interesting part of the build was brazing the tubes together with simple flux, solder, and a torch. I had to wrap more complicated joints with copper wire before brazing to hold things together and provide a stronger finished joint.


LED digit clock 2

LED digit clock is a nixie-style clock with sound activated state machine. Eight LEDs are embedded in a machined block of acrylic. The block is braced against overturning moment with a short section of aluminum angle which is tapped with socket head bolts. Hot and ground are then routed from each LED to the arduino which also powers a small op amp and microphone.

Coding the clock necessitated a series of 10 code arrays to govern the physical outputs of 0 through 9. Other functions output the values of hour, minute and second counters to the physical array. The four states of the clock are a default counting state which blinks the entire array on the minute every minute. The second is a slightly more elaborate display on the hour. Left alone the clock will attempt to attract attention via these two states. If one asks the clock what time it is, the microphone / op amp assembly triggers a recognition sequence to indicate reaction to the audio stimuli. This state is immediately followed by outputting the actual time in sequential hour:minute format. The clock then returns to its default minute counting state. Will post code on another page.

setup

digit 4

LED digit clock

LED digit clock is operational, it has run for several hours accurately. full documentation to come ASAP.

key lamp

I’m constantly worried about leaving important personal items (keys, wallet, phone, etc.) where they shouldn’t be. Since leaving my wallet on the 28X Airport Flyer last year, I’ve made a conscious effort to know where my belongings are at all times. I’ve noticed recently that i’m prone to leaving my keys in the door of my apartment. Key lamp uses a homemade switch consisting of two aluminum plates, and a block of cherry wood to provide a handy key storage / warning device. When keys are inserted into the block, the keys themselves complete the circuit and dual 3000 mcd LEDs light in recognition of the presence of keys. The next step in this system would be to wire it into the deadbolt of my appt so when i leave the keys in the door the annoying flashing would remind me to take them out from inside the apartment.

I intended to code 3 states into my lamp. The default being off but still monitoring the switch for the presence of keys. the second is warning mode wherein the lamp would flash annoyingly in order to remind me to take my keys out. The final state would be to remain at full brightness to provide light for navigation. Because i get home from studio after midnight on a regular basis, i often run into things in the darkness of my apartment. The third state would provide minimal light until i can turn on appropriate lights. I have only managed to code the first two states, but the third is on its way.

(interactive) Furniture

In exploring existing models, I became interested in passively interactive furniture. These pieces are not made interactive through mechanical or electronic systems, rather they are responsive through physical form. In some cases they are not interactive and are only objects of interest.

Universal toilet by Changduk Kim and Youngki Hong reconsiders the accessibility of disabled toilet. The unit does not require the user to twist or turn in order to move from wheel chair to toilet. The full text can be found here.

The second piece of interest is one of Zaha Hadid’s recent forays into furniture design exhibited in NYC. The full text can be found here