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Make ‘em Quick, Mr. Potato Head!

I made a video to go along with this post but it was too big, so check it out here: https://youtu.be/VFjFWJ3kr1Y

For our final project in Physical Computing, we were asked to use the Arduino to interact with some external thing. So, naturally, I chose a potato. I figured a spud could be turned into something interesting, especially since potato clock science fair projects are so common. For my previous project I made a game and wanted to do the same for this one, so considering both that and the need to incorporate the potato I landed on the idea of Mr. Potato Head. He’s well known in the toy space and is meant to be assembled and taken apart again. I tried to emulate that aspect of the toy into my project by taping an image of Mr. Potato Head parts to each wire that goes into the potato so you can “build” him. I struggled with identifying when a wire was and wasn’t plugged in to the potato at first, but my professor pointed me in the right direction by using capsense to make the wires sensitive to analog influences. To make building the potato more interesting, I put a timer on the player and require them to create their masterpiece in a certain order. Trying to get all the wires in on time and in random sequences jumbles up the face and gives really funny combinations! One flaw with the current state of the project is that you can remove parts after you’ve put them in the potato. I left this “exploit” in because I didn’t want the player to be penalized if the wire fell out or had a less than stellar connection to the potato (plus if the player wants to take the time to remove the wire after they’ve already put it in for whatever reason, that’s up to them). You can see the full layout and gameplay of my project in the video linked up above.

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Audio Analysis

For the final project in my Current Topics class, we were tasked with analyzing an audio track and displaying various properties from the FFT analyzer. My visualizer shows the higher value achieved by an individual band so far with a horizontal line marker. Additionally, each band will change color based on what percent of its highest previous value it is currently reaching. For example, the band will turn green if the band’s current value is between 40% and 60% of its maximum. The band turns purple if it is currently reaching or is surpassing that previous maximum, and black if it has a value of 0. The track being used is a remix of Jolly Roger Bay from Super Mario 64, downloaded from Newgrounds (http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=1603357&sub=55338).

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Morse Code Project

This setup takes a string, translates it to Morse Code, and outputs it with both audio and light. The string can be changed in code, and can include letters, number, some symbols, and spaces. In this video it is repeating “SOS”. Given an infinite time to iterate on this, I would add functionality to change the message in real time, and/or let the user input Morse Code with a button and translate it on screen.

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Color Shift

I created this effect by averaging two colors and outputting that value for the third color (i.e., averaging red and blue, and outputting that value as green). I started with Golan Levin’s BackgroundSubtraction example and removed the background shifting, then altered the code as described above to get this output.

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Unity-chan the Avatar

For our next assignment with AR, we were tasked to create a scenario with moving, toggleable parts. I decided to take a model character and give them the power to control the four classic elements, which the user can turn on/off individually. The fire spins clockwise at a fast pace, while the rocks spin slowly and counterclockwise. The package for the model used also came with the functionality to change her facial expression and pose. Additionally, the application opens with a title screen with instructions.

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Button Mashing Project

This is my first post for IGME 470, with more to come at a later date. This first project is a button mashing game. You are given three seconds to press the button as many times as possible, and light up 30 LEDs. When the game is over, the lights will repeatedly travel as far up the neopixel strip as you were able to progress. Flipping the switch starts the game, and flipping it again will turn it off/reset it. This was partially inspired by modern “test your strength” games at carnivals, amusement parks, and arcades, where the harder you hit the machine, the higher the light travels.

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Guide the Ground Flow

This next assignment was simpler, focusing on the different states of the camera and relaying instructions to the user. I used a GUI and placed it in a box to stand out against the background, notifying the user when the camera is still looking for a ground plane, when there’s not enough light or too much movement, when the player can interact with the plane, etc. There is also a reticle to highlight planes that have successfully been tracked, and a button for resetting the tracking in the top right corner.

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Custom AR Target

For this assignment, we needed to use a custom target and create a scene around it. I used a picture of a phoenix, and added a particle system to match the flame in the picture. As the particles rise, they change color and become more transparent.

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Augmented Reality While Travelling

This is the first of a series of posts for IGME 480. My AR scenarios all have to do with travel, especially to foreign countries, and use the same assumptions as Wroblewski. Each picture shows a widget that can be toggled on or off with a command (and remains on/off until the command is repeated).

Toggle: Translate

Toggle: Pronunciation

Toggle: Caption

Toggle: Conversion

Toggle: Time