Making Toys 6

Schedule - Spring 2009 Semester

Jan
27    First Day
       Sign-up To Blog, Review Parts to get and where/how, Install operating system. Do homework Hello World, Hand-out Arduinos

Feb
3      Show Home Work. Discuss LED's, Lumi's Viewing Radius. Find LED time-pieces, blog them. Make a series of LED's fire. Explore Time and Squence in Code. Explore Position in Space for Effect. Assign Student Lecturers. 
        Student Lectures Begin. Topic and Homework -  LED Light and Time, Resisters, Series/Parallel.
10    Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework -  LED Light and Time- PWM and general construction and material effects.
        Movie Theremin
17    Attend Toy Fair 15-18th. Blog 3 items you liked there. Include photo, name, maker's name, and one paragraph of why you like it.
       Show LED light Projects - Crit
24    Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework - Order Speakers and other parts. Sound, Speakers, IR sensors, Ultra-sonic sensors
       Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework - IR sensors, Ultra-sonic sensors, Feedback via LED's

March
3     Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework - More on IR sensors, Ultra-sonic sensors, Feedback via LED's
        Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework - Sound and Music Feedback via Speakers, PWM
10    Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework - Sound Resonance in Material. Prototype 1
        Student Lectures.  Topic and Homework - Prototype 2
16 to 22    Spring Break
24    Project Crits, Prototypes 3

31       Electro-Plush, Sewing and Plush Fabric/construction- Focus on Fabric/Stuffing.  Focus on Enclosures. Research Other Elecro-Plush, Find 3 and Describe why, never the same one.

April
7     Electro-Plush, Prototype 1 -- User Play-Testing

14   Electro-Plush, Prototype 2-- User Play-Testing
     
21   Holocaust Remembrance Day   -- Prototype 3
     
28   Electro-Plush, Clone and Network-- User Play-Testing

May      
5     Final Presenation

12           Last Day of Class. Individual Reviews.

18   Classes and exams end.

Assignment for 2/27/08

Order:
Code

Read:
THE COMING AGE OF CALM TECHNOLOGY
http://www.johnseelybrown.com/calmtech.pdf
or
http://nano.xerox.com/hypertext/weiser/acmfuture2endnote.htm

Read:
http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction

Required Reading:

Book:
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
by Charles Petzold

Web:
Arduino - HomePage

-------------------------------------
Non-required but helpful:
http://www.tigoe.net/pcomp/

Flow : the psychology of optimal experience
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
-------------------------------------

Additional reading assigned in classes based on topic and class direction

About This Class:
You should take this class if you are interested in learning about the art and craft of interactive product design.  It also focuses on building and refining prototypes based on concepts outlined by instructor, but created and imagined by students. It will also focus on ubiquitous computing, product and experience design, documentation/presentation skills, entrepreneurship, and tend-spotting.

This Class Focuses on 3 primary projects:
A Time Piece:
Use LED light to show the passage of time, and tell/read a certain time.   

Theremin:
Use proximity sensors and speakers to recreate a Theremin-style sound object.

Electro-Plush Experience:
Use light, sound, and proximity senor(s), to create an interactive plush-toy experience.
____________________________________

Once a primary project is built, students will have to keep it operating so it can be used and iterated through-out the rest of the semester.  In final presentations, students will show all three projects as their "final work."
Additional exercises will be assigned through-out the semester to develop the necessary skills to complete the 3 primary projects.

Material Costs:
Since we make prototypes the entire semester this class will ask you to buy a lot of things.  If you've taken physical computing  you probably have most of the tools already. I will introduce all the tools and materials in class.  Expect to spend around $100-300 for material cost in the class, for all your prototyping needs.

Warning:
This is a rapid prototyping class, you will test your concepts as working prototypes.  Physical computing is a prerequisite for this class.

Making things people play with is not an easy design challenge.  Making your designs and prototypes withstand user-testing requires a lot of time on your part.  In light of this, it may be very likely that this is your most time consuming class.  But I think you'll find the work very rewarding as your prototypes begin to live around the home and in your creative portfolio.