FLUTTER smart shelf

We were asked to create an interactive physical visualization of live data using Arduino. To do this, we delved into the semantic potential of a simple, mechanized gesture — the waving of a string — to reaffirm one’s connection with distant friends. FLUTTER is a floating shelf that connects people in long-distance relationships by abstracting signs of activity into intuitive gestures. Footsteps are measured discretely and then expressed through the fluttering of a dangling string. The interaction is intended to strengthen bonds through inciting conversation; if the other person has been active for a while, what might they be up to? The project was prototyped as a “sender” and a “receiver” communicating via Bluetooth modules. The former functions like a pedometer, while the latter (the shelf) generates the visualization with a servomotor. If both parts converge, a “reunion” clause activates, retracting the string back into the shelf until the parts are separated again. Collaboration with Siwoo Lee and Kevin Song. Special thanks to Marcelo Luft for providing a copy of his M.Des. thesis, “Emilia,” which inspired this project. Arduino code is available here: https://github.com/Dreadnought55/INDS2007-001-Project-4 “ID 3: Emerging Technology,” OCAD U, March-April 2018.