Connect Cube -Intangible Interaction
Design Challenge Proposal — Final Project | Intangible Interaction
A set of objects that allow you to maintain a connection to your relatives by sharing a moment.
Overview
This project is intended to create a unique interaction for communicating with our loved ones. Inspired by our current events, I wonder in which ways we can connect more, but without actively interfering in our daily routine. My approach was to create a set of cubes that, when a person joins them together, can send a message to another person.
Concept
The idea is to create a physical object that people can use to share their current activity with people they are connected to. The physical connection would be made through objects in the shape of cubes.
This idea was inspired from the design challenge from the Intangible Interactions class about Covid-19 related issues. One of the things that have been affected is our relationship with our families, due to the disruption of our routines. So I thought about other ways to strengthen our connection with them.
Project Description
Each person has a set of blocks: The Main block, where the screen and computer are located, and the other is the Activity block, which represents the activity the person is doing.
To make the connection, the user has to join the main block and activity block. When one user joins the activity block to the main block, the other user receives an update on the change of activity on their main block. Each user sees the other person’s activity block.
The activity block is interchangeable with other activity blocks.
The blocks are around 5x5 inches. The blocks will be made of acrylic, wood, and silicone.
The main block will include an Arduino, RFID Reader, a Raspberry Pi, and a 5x5 inch screen.
User Interaction
The interaction is personal. The person is invited to join the objects to share their activities with another person that has the same system of cubes. This message consists of activities that they want the other person to know, an emotion or perhaps a feeling.
One person (“User 1”) is the first to initiate the interaction, and the other person (“User 2”) responds to the shared connection. So far, the activity blocks represent the activity that the user is doing at the moment. The idea behind the activities is to share a moment with the other user. This illustration below shows two people sharing their activities with each other.
User Interaction — Diagram
Sketches / 3D Drawing / Progress Documentation
System Diagram
Hardware components of the main cube and activity cube.
Software flow of main cube and activity cube.
Prototype / Proof of Concept
Sending a message from RFID Reader to Database and Receiving the message back. Github Repository
Running localhost of the code on the Raspberry Pi.
Running the Arduino Sketch and seen results on the terminal on the Raspberry Pi.
Connect Cube — Prototyping User Flow
I wasn’t able to run the p5.serialserver on the Raspberry Pi, I made a video simulating the user flow.
Note: This video is a demonstration of the interaction flow. I imposed the image on the Main block during editing because of poor image clarity during recording due to brightness.
Modeling and Rendering
Budget
The materials here listed are for one unit of cubes only.
One main block and 4 activity blocks.
Additional Information
To see more information about the process: Se this link: Intangible Interaction Blog
I also worked on this project from the User Experience perspective. To see links about that process see this link: Design Meaningful Interaction Blog
Future Steps
- Run p5.serialserver on Raspberry Pi
- Meaning of the shape: Explore other shapes.
- Use the hall sensor as a gate to send the RFID readings.
- Change Screen Size
- Build it
- Test it
References and Resources
- Intangible Interactions -Yeseul Song’s Class Labs
- Physical Computing ITP — Lab: Arduino and p5.js using Raspberry Pi
- Physical Computing ITP — Serial CommunicationLab: Serial Input to P5.js
- Networks at ITP — Setting Up A Raspberry Pi
- DWD — MongoDB Guide — Joey Lee and Cassie Tarakajian
- DWD — Database Services Guide — Joey Lee
