In this lab we learned how to solder and developed a concept for an interactive object.
When soldering it really helped to plan out each component and bend the wires so I could easily tell which components I was soldering together. Also, using a clamp was useful, so that the board or components didn’t move while I was soldering.
For my interactive object I thought about different problems and how everyday objects could be improved to help solve those problems. I work at a daycare and a problem teachers and parents often run into is getting their child to finish all of the food on their plate. In order to work towards solving this problem I came up with the idea of a Meal Progress Tracking Plate. My plate would have a weight sensor built in so that it could tell what percentage of the original amount of food was eaten. Since the plate is catered towards children, I thought a good way of displaying their progress was through a screen that displayed an image of a rocket ship traveling from start to finish. Along the way would be markers that represented 25%, 50%, and 75% completion. In addition to the rocket ship that moved across the plate, there would be a colored progress bar like trail that visually represented completion. Aside from visual cues, audio feedback could be used to inform the user of their progress. For example, when they reach the 75% mark the plate would tell them, “Good job! You’re almost there!”, or when they eat all their food, the plate could play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
