We met today to discuss the realization of our goals of Thursday, which were to have a completely autonomous folding hexagon that could respond to light and/or movement and/or moisture. here's the email I wrote to sum up the meeting:
Hey guys- great meeting today. I'm really excited about what we
accomplished.
Here's a recap:
We have come up with context. I think the professors (most importantly
Shtein) really want there to be a problem we are solving , or some
narrative for how this works and what purpose it serves. Our "story" is
going to be based on the pavilion/shelter thing they recently installed at
C.C. Little- our surface will form the roof of this shelter and will react
to weather and lighting conditions to shelter or expose the temporary
inhabitants thereof. It will also sense the presence of people under it,
opening or closing depending on the situation it finds itself in.
Here's a forecast:
For Thursday we want a fully autonomous hexagon (3 if we can, right?) that
takes in information from light, moisture, and movement sensors and reacts
accordingly. In order to accomplish that, we need to:
- cut pieces from acrylic and assemble them
- hack code for the moisture, movement, and light sensors and edit it for
our purposes
- assemble it so that it all works.
For construction:
A main facet of our discussion today was about how to mechanize the folding
and unfolding of each triangular panel. We think the best way to do this,
economy willing, is to find small spring-loaded hinges that will hold each
panel flat. We will run string (or fishing wire, which may be more
appropriate given that it's clear) through small holes in each panel and
anchor the string on one panel so that the three movable panels are pulled
towards each other. This requires one string for each panel, and possibly a
spool around which to wind all the strings. This simplifies our previous
string dilemma, and should hopefully make construction simpler. As far as
the laser cut file goes, we may need to modify it to allow for screws, and
in the event we need to save space we can cut individual pieces instead of
whole hexagon frames.
Coding:
Chris, I hate to stick you with a lot of work, but it definitely seems that
you're the most competent at Arduino here. Diana and I, as your other
engineers, can help with anything (even if it means lending a second pair
of eyes to look at your code). Here's what we were thinking:
Moisture: If the moisture level goes above some threshold indicative of
the normal humidity in regular air (not exactly sure what this would be-
shouldn't take much research) this should activate the servo(s) and make
the surface flat. This way, we can have a closed surface to protect "users"
from rain.
Light: We were thinking this one would work on a timer- based on weather
patterns at a given time on a given day in each year, these would be
closed, open, or somewhere in between. For now I think it would suffice to
have the pyramids open under light and close without it.
Motion: I think all we need for Thursday is for it to close when the
motion sensor detects motion. This would be indicative of the surface
providing shade on a hot day around noon-ish.
Assembly:
This is kind of a play it by ear situation, as we have to find suitable
hinges and wait for the necessary alterations to the cut files. Pat- what
alterations are necessary for this to happen? As far as I can tell it's
just the holes for the string/wire. If it's more and you need more time let
us know. Hopefully we will be able to cut by tomorrow and assemble
Tuesday-Wednesday.
So, to sum up, here's what we need from everyone:
Pat & Simon- get the cut files ready and do well on your reviews.
Chris (and Diana and Dan if necessary)- Arduino!
Betsy- Lasercut ASAP
Dan- Flowchart for open/closed behavior based on weather.
Cool? Cool. Sorry to be so verbose, but this morning was stimulating and we
have a lot to do this week.
-Dan
I thought it was comprehensive (and comprehensible)
and made clear the goals and decisions the meeting produced, and I feel more than at any previous point
in time during this course that we are heading in a really interesting direction.
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