Touch Project Documentation
Blake's documentation for his touch prototype.
Title: TouchMe HoldMe
Through this project I was hoping to explore the bonds people make with inanimate objects. This pillow, with its furry exterior and plush feel, is a very inviting object. When sitting in my apartment, I'd often find myself absentmindedly stroking or holding this specific pillow, thus using it in a way that is entirely contrary to its purpose. By embedding sensors and motors, I was able to get this distinctly animal-esque pillow to respond to my interaction with it, altering my experience. The goal was to change nature of this pillow from a completely passive, one way experience, to a bi-directional sensory connection, where the user would make a connection with the piece and the piece would respond tactilely. My hope was that people would feel as if the piece is making a connection with them, in essence expressing its own emotions towards the user.
Video:
Outer appearance:
Electronic schematic:
Close Ups of Electronics:
Program:
The tree on the right was an attempt at random activation. I was trying to tell the Pico to generate a random number, and if that random number fell within a specific range, to activate the motors. Unfortunately, the Pico language is rather limited, and I could not find an effective method for making this happen. If I rebuild the project later, I think I'll use the arduino platform, as it is able to do such things.
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