After the Concept Presentations, we decided on going with the location-based light art installation that changes color and plays music based on where the user is standing. We set up in AK 113 and played with an IR tracking camera, two Arduinos, and an LED light strip we had lying around. After some experimentation, we decided on a location-based reactive LED strip as our maquette. The LED strip gradually changes color based on the location values produced from the IR tracking camera.
Detailed Pictures
IR Tracking Cameras: Cameras that are able to track up to 4 IR/heat sources. The output of this device is fed to the LED strip in order to change the gradient color via RGB values from 0-255.
Driver circuit: This circuit allows the strip of LEDs to draw 1 Amp when at full brightness. This is need since the Arduino’s output pins can only supply around 40 mA. We used TIP31C transistors that allow us to draw 1 Amp from the power supply through the collector of the transistor.
Shopping List
The next stage of the process involves buying:
(1) Gikfun 5mm 940nm LEDs Infrared Emitter and IR Receiver Diode for Arduino (Pack of 20pcs) EK8443
(1) ALITOVE 16.4ft WS2812B Individually Addressable RGB LED Strip Light 5m 150 Pixels Dream Color Programmable Digital LED Flexible Strip Waterproof IP65 Black PCB 5V DC
These purchases will allow our project to incorporate multiple users at the same time and allow us to individually program the LED’s in the strip to expand upon its functionality.
Next Steps
Going forward, we have a few things to consider. First we will look around for a suitable hallway where we could set up our installation while we wait for the rest of our components to arrive. Next, we will look into ways to incorporate music into the project. We already started looking into that a little, but will continue to do so. When the parts arrive, we will add those to the existing project. Once everything is set, we will move everything to the hallway and figure out the ideal setup for the IR tracking cameras and LED strip placements so users can easily interact with our project.