For my project, I intend to use the ribbon sensors with the Arduino to create a teamwork drawing tool. The sensors will be connected to a virtual cursor that draws according to the users’ controls. One of the sensors will control horizontal movement while one will control vertical movements. Two people will have to collaborate — one on each sensor — in order to successfully draw a picture. I thought it would be neat to create a piece that emphasized teamwork with other people.
I will be connecting the Arduino to Unity for this project, so I plan to research how to do line drawing in Unity engine. I also need to do testing to determine how exactly the sensors will control the movement in a way that is intuitive. I feel like this project’s challenge will definitely come from the technical side in Unity.
In order to put the physical part together, I will connect both ribbon sensors to the breadboard and the Arduino as we were shown in class. I am also considering using the pressure sensor so that if it is tapped, the drawing clears (as a kind of reset button). If I do that, I will also attach it to the breadboard as shown in the diagram below.
Artist Question: Do you have any suggestions for what the physical board that holds the sensors should look like aesthetically? I don’t have much in terms of ideas for visuals.
From an aesthetic perspective, the board could be in the shape of a pencil so it ties into the drawing/creation theme
A paint brush for the sensors and palette with little colored dots to change the drawing color could be cool.
I like the thin lined strips in your concept and the signifiers are strong enough that I don’t think you need the words. I think either impersonating a white canvas board or tabletop for the board would get across the drawing aspect on the screen.
The collaboration part is very interesting and unique. In my opinion, I think recreating a sketch tablet or a etch-a-sketch could look aesthetically pleasing for a board design.
I like the interaction aspect of this project. It might look cool if the interface is on an actual canvas on an easel, but that might be too large.
My personal opinion is to make this piece look like an etch a sketch. Not only is the design simple but recognizable, but the device itself functions in a very similar manner. This set up is interesting, and I’m curious to see how you develop the product into a physical and digital piece.
On a technical note, the touch potentiometers are fun but very glitchy. So you might want to consider implementing some extreme data smoothing and/or design your experience for some silliness when people struggle to control them.
oh noo that’s good to note!