[PCOMP] Final Project Proposal

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Final project idea: “Three Little Pigs” Full Book

Assignment requirements

  • Microcontroller to PC (Serial Communication)

  • Physical Interaction Design Principles 

  • Design principles

For my pcomp final project, I’m working with Chris again to refine our midterm project for the Winter show. We got a lot of good feedback during the critique that we are interested in addressing for this improved version. I am also looking forward to work more with soft materials and explore using e-textile sensors, switches, and conductive thread.

This time, we want to make an interactive book with minimum three pages. We are sticking with the OG story of “Three Little Pigs” since we already have a foundation with it, but want to tell the story from the wolf’s point of view. As the reader is flipping through the pages, they're asked to help the wolf achieve his goals. For the serial communication aspect, it can be an interface for picking the genre of how you read the story. For example, the background music and sfx it plays when the person flips through the story depend on the mode people clicks (funny light hearted music for comedy, eerie creepy laughter in distance for horror).

I think it'd be really cool to have more pages, but not all of them need an interaction. Some of them can be isolated simple circuits or not have any pcomp at all (so the readers can still have a fleshed out story, and are encouraged to slowly discover and find the interactive components over time).

Materials

  • Arduino

  • Android phone (to run p5 sketch

  • Sewable LED’s

  • Conductive thread or copper tape

  • Photoresistors

Interactive experience 

  • Depending on the different ways you interact with it, you get different results. 

    • How can you allow for more discovery and curiosity? 

  • Let the user dictate what they can control.

  • Keeping it portable

  • Q for Pedro: What’s the best way to incorporate the serial communication interaction? 

  • Ideas

    • Serial communication to control the mood of the scene? 

      • if DAY = white led lights + sound of rooster

      • if NIGHT = Orange led lights + owl hoot

      • if CALM = motor is off

      • if WINDY = motor comes on + wind gust

    • There could be different placements on the page where you can place a character that completes the circuit to perform different actions (i.e. connects the circuit to the lights/to the motor)

      • if circuit is complete, sound plays or led is on

    • Start with three pages

      • If photoresistor 1 has light, page 1 is open

        • If page 1 is open, page 1 interactions are active

      • If photoresistor 2 has light, page 2 is open

        • If page 2 is open, page 2 interactions are active

      • If photoresistor 3 has light, page 3 is open

        • If page 3 is open, page 3 interactions are active

Feedback from Pedro: 

  • Look at past interactive book projects because there's a lot out there

    • Maybe focus more on the interactive element than the pop up book element

  • Self contained vs. connecting to a computer are conflicting goals

    • We can use HID with phone to trigger interactions in the book instead of computer? 

    • USB-OTG (on the go) allows android phone to show up as a keyboard that can send input into the arduino. Using a phone will both power and give sound to the story.  

    • Use android from ER and run p5 from browser. 

    • Phone can be connected to arduino inside the book (and play different animations depending on the page that's open). 

    • Can also just use the phone to play the sounds

  • Light sensors can be used with holes cut out to tell which page has been flipped.