So our project is an interactive musical learning instrument for children. We wanted to make an interactive musical instrument that does not seem like you’re playing an instrument. Moving away from buttons or dials we are using weight and inferred sensors to monitor the beach scene so every change that is made to the sand or the water is recorded and changes the volume level of the tracks. We are using two different tracks one being the sounds of the sea with crashing waves the other being the sounds of the beach with children talking seagulls squawking and an ice cream truck to create a seaside experience. In keeping with the theme the area is decorated like the beach with blue felt with waves and a turtle being the sea and a golden yellow felt with sprinkles of sand and shells for the beach. This way the sounds and visual effects are all linked together along with the levels of water and sand that the user can change. Using an Arduino and raspberry pi to control and playback the audio means this instrument is not tied down to a pc or laptop and can be taken anywhere just plug in the power and after about 1 minute the code auto loads and you’re ready to jam. After what I learnt in everywhere and about ubiqoust computing I tried to keep the technology as hidden as possible which all apart from the inferred sensor did work. The user controls the level of sand in the sand bucket with a spad as we are at the beach, and the level of water with a turkey baster. We were going to use a cup but with water potential going over the electronics we went this the baster just for safety reasons. Inside the cup of water is a little electronic fish that swims the moor water you put in and stops when there is no water, to represent the fish of the sea.
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AuthorRobert Stenhouse Archives
December 2015
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