GMU:The Conceptual Sensor/Vanessa Yepes

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Assignments/Projects for GMU:The Conceptual Sensor - Winter Semester 2015.

By Vanessa Yepes Serna


FINAL PROJECT: ELECTRIC MIMOSA

 

I. Circuit Overview

Inspired by the smooth-organic movement of the Sleepy Plant (Mimosa pudica) this circuit wants to experiment with different methods of locomotion, testing the possibilities of the nickel - titanium wire alloy.

Mimosa movement

 

a. Circuit Diagram with Photocell

 

II. Circuit construction

Materials:

  • Flexinol (nickel - titanium wire alloy)
  • 555 timer
  • Potentiometer 100k
  • Capacitor 0.1 mf
  • Potentiometer 100k
  • Photocell
  • Transistor TIP 120
  • Diode 1n404
  • Relay
  • LED
  • Resistor 1k Ohm
  • 2 Batteries 9 volt.


Testing the wire video

See the embedded video below:

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If you can not see the video, please go to this link:

Testing shapes

     

Circuit 1 (movement detection with photocell)

 


Video Circuit 1 (movement detection with photocell)

Link

Plant and leafs construction

Cutting paper leafs

 


Installing Flexinol and wire inside the leafs

 


Assembling wire and leaves

 


Soldering the wire between the leafs

   


Assembling fixed leafs

     


III. FINAL INSTALLATION

Assembled Garden

 

The magic Inside the box

   


Inside of the Electric Garden

 


IV. FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

1. Incorporate an Infrared sender and receiver instead of a Photocell in order to improve the reaction to “touch”


2. At the moment, I’m experimenting with 3D printing and a possible electronic object with this technique. These are photos of this process so far


3D Model file for the printing

 

Opps! Problems with the object design...

 

ASSIGNMENT 2 : THE EXPERIMENTAL RESISTANCE

I. Description

All the objects around us have its own amount of electric conductivity, some of then let the electricity runs wild and other just make it slow. This exercise is an attempt to control the flow of electric current, and show in a tangible way the electric current activity.

Using colored water with a dilution of different conductive materials like salt, soap and vinegar, this circuit makes different noises when the resistance of the piece of paper decreases due the amount of conductive solution in it. The result is a visual color mixing game that plays various sounds according with the ingredient diluted in the colored solution.

 

I. Photos

a. Before the colored solution

 

 

a. After color mixing

 

 

2. Circuit Diagram and Sketches

 

ASSIGNMENT 1 : THE IMPROBABLE SWITCH

I. Description

This exercise experiments with the different ways to close a circuit, any material could be a switch with the right construction with more visually interesting results than the black boxes in our daily electronic objects. In this case, a candle is used to warm the air around a metallic spiral and produce movement. When the spiral moves, it opens and closes the circuit, touching aluminum leafs installed inside of the small greenhouse. When the switch is on the little flag in the motor moves and the lights turn on.

 


2 Construction Photos

 

 

 

 

3. Circuit Diagram and Sketches

 

4. Circuit Photos

 

 

 

 

 

5. Video

You can not see the embedded video below:

If you can see the video, please go to this link: [1]

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If you can not see the video, please go to this link: [2]