technology.
This aspect of 'Douceurs' was approached in such a way to truly encourage my engagement with technology and in a way that I would enjoy it the most. This area has been full of tests and experiments and again videos have been used as a sketching tool.
sticky text.
This experiment was created using LED's, tape, magnets and batteries.
This video illustrates the experiment.
Various experiments were set up using wireless cameras and projectors. Simply working with the projector led to me understanding the function and limitations of the object. I used it to project letters, emails and texts onto parchment, newspaper and blank walls.
I attached a wireless camera to the top of a pen. I watched the happenings being projected onto the wall in front of me. This experiment was really good fun and has sparked many of comments and conversations amongst all who have watched it.
This first video depicts a letter written to my grandmother. Any mistakes I made were witnessed and my hesitation of word choice is obvious. Writing a letter in this way immersed my thoughts into how 'Douceurs' could capture these feelings in an object.
Wouldn't it be lovely to open up an email and watch the person writing you the letter, see their hesitation, learn of their mistakes, absorb their surroundings....
It would be nice to be able to sift through all the letters you had written in your lifetime, like the way we sort through photographs in an album. Letters are just as important...this would allow you to watch your handwriting change...and watch yourself change; your confidence, your mannerisms...
This video depicts the idea of writing a letter and putting it in the envelope all being captured and watched by the recipient. It also shows the view that a recipient would see if a camera was attached to the top of the pen. The receiver can see where I am , who I am with, my environment ...allowing them to witness my mistakes, my thought process and my surroundings.
solenoids.
In response to the idea of setting up a mechanical test rig using my typewriter working with solenoids has been a learning curve for and an exciting aspect to my concept generation. I purchased a range of solenoids with different functions and powers with the goal of truly understanding how they work and their limitations.
A solenoid is a miniature latching (remanence) solenoid employing a permanent magnet, allowing the solenoid to be retained in the set position without consuming any power. Pulses of typically 40ms duration will operate and reset both ranges. The first image shows a miniature PCB mounting solenoid of 6V, with a tiny height of just 12mm this one is ideally suited to pulse driven applications; it delicate to work with and got hot quickly. Initially, simply hooking the objects up to power supply gave me a feel for what they did. When the voltage is on the force is so strong and cannot be broken by hand.
I then began to think about how to attach the spring to the solenoid. The next step was fix a solenoid into my typewriter so I could then create a code to make the solenoid pull the spring to force an action on one of the individual keys.
However, this was a naive view - when looking more closely the space below the keys was quite limited. I then began to take the typewriter apart, this was tricky business but led to me understanding the mechanical functions and make up of the object.
I needed an individual key to work, initially I was going to drill a hole at the top end of the metal so i could attach the spring securely. At this stage the conclusion was drawn that there was not enough space for the solenoid at all. An option was to create a new housing for the typewriter to create more depth. I felt this was slightly complex for the sake of small test piece....the rods and springs controlling the key worked beautifully. Looking inside a typewriter reminded me of the fascination I felt when I first looked inside a piano.
By simply attaching a wire around one of the rods, I was able to create the effect of my pulling on the wire making the key work. very simple but satisfying. Looking more closely at the keyboard and with Seans helpful input. I had the idea of shifting the solenoid to the other side of the keyboard to the capital key. If I could get this to work I could create the random capitaliser.
Connecting the solenoid into the capital key could have good effect for a prototype. The next step was preparing the solenoid component and figuring out which one to use etc. I soldered two wires ( one red & one black) onto the two coil pins and then set up my first test rig. happy. the solenoid was attached by small screws to a piece of scrap wood and then a suitable spring was attached from solenoid to a screw. A second screw was placed further along to stop the solenoid snapping all the way in.
Using a very small spring generated the force I required to eventually move a key. I generated another concept, with the help of Gareth, of placing the spring at a different location to increase the 'push'. Please see diagram below...this formula will help me calculate distances and make sure all the distances relate correctly. I mocked up this prototype lever, as the force is fairly weak I made the model out of paper. The next step is attaching a mock key to the end of the lever, making the desired test rig is much more mechanical than first anticipated.
This video shows my small prototype with the desired push pull effect happening.
The telegram has been object thoroughly researched, it has been described as magic and poetry cloaked in science. The making of my own small scale telegram will enhance my understanding of the object and perhaps create an experiment for users to play with.
Currently in the midst of making this little research piece. I have gathered 9 small nails, 2 large iron nails, 4 flat strips of metal, 20ft or more of insulated wire and 2 batteries. This object will be made by screwing one of the strips of metal to one of the pieces of wood so that pushing down on the strip brings the strip into electrical contact with the screw that is mounted under it. The battery holder is made by screwing two of the metal strips to the wood so that they can make electrical contact with each end of the line up of the two batteries. A rubber band can be used to maintain pressure on the battery contacts.
Creating the sounder is rather tricky as it requires a bit of care in construction and adjustment. The electromagnet coil consists of one of the iron nails with at least 100 turns of the wire wound neatly around it. The more wire that is wrapped around it the stronger the force is.
The longer iron-bearing strip of metal is screwed to the wooden base and bent so that it extends up and over the top of the nail. When the electric current passes through the coil of wire, it makes the nail into an electromagnet which pulls the strip of metal down to the nail and makes a clicking sound.
The second nail is important because it keeps the strip of metal from pulling too far away from the electromagnet. It also serves to make a clicking sound when the strip of metal is released by the magnet and moves upward.
This will enable me to be aware of the difference between the dots and the dashes of the morse code by learning to distinguish between the pull-in "click" and the release-"clack".
The pull-in "click" is the sound the metal strip makes when it is pulled in by the electromagnet coil and strikes the nail which is in the center of the coil. The release "clack" is the sound that the metal strip makes when it is no longer pulled by the electromagnet coil and it moves rapidly upward to strike the upper nail.
Here is a list which shows the dot and dash equivalents of letters and numbers in the original morse code, and the continental code.
( DOT = * DASH = - LONG DASH = ---- )
MORSE CODE CONTINENTAL CODE
CHARACTER: AMERICAN MORSE INTERNATIONAL CODE
A * - * -
B - * * * - * * *
C * * * - * - *
D - * * - * *
E * *
F * - * * * - *
G - - * - - *
H * * * * * * * *
I * * * *
J - * - * * - - -
K - * - - * -
L ---- * - * *
M - - - -
N - * - *
O * * - - -
P * * * * * * - - *
Q * * - * - - * -
R * * * * - *
S * * * * * *
T - -
U * * - * * -
V * * * - * * * -
W * - - * - -
X * - * * - * * -
Y * * * * - * - -
Z * * * * - - * *
1 * - - * * - - - -
2 * * - * * * * - - -
3 * * * - * * * * - -
4 * * * * - * * * * -
5 - - - * * * * *
6 * * * * * * - * * * *
7 - - * * - - * * *
8 - * * * * - - - * *
9 - * * - - - - - *
0 ------ - - - - -
Period * * - - * * * - * - * -
Comma * - * - - - * * - -
Question - * * - * * * - - * *
I intend to mounting a pencil on the sounder arm and have it mark a piece of paper with either a high mark or a low mark while the paper is pulled under the pencil at an approximately constant speed. This would approximate Samuel Morse's very first telegraph system used before people learned to copy code by ear. Morse invented a "register" which used a clockwork mechanism to pull a paper tape under a pencil which was moved in and out by an electromagnet.
The marks can then be translated into the short downwards pencil marks on the paper as dots... and the long downwards pencil marks on the paper as dashes...
Although, very technical and beyond my limitations I was intrigued by this project. It has similar aspects to some of the concepts generated.
Learning to use the laser-cutting machine enabled me to experiment with different fonts and materials; allowing me to truly experiment with three dimensional words.
This is my first test piece in which I learned about different line values.
In the essence of 'Douceurs' my approach to using a technological machine for a valuable method of communication resulted in romantic laser cutting.
I then created a canvas of various words and phrases, again this enriched my way of thinking about words and what they mean. Ideally, I would like to create a whole letter in this manner. This experiment encouraged thoughts relating to shadows of letters and handwriting.
electroluminescent wire.
commonly called el wire or el cable looks similar to neon but has the flexibility and versatility of wire. It creates no heat and can be applied to nearly any surface. All this combined with the fact the wire is durable, weatherproof and has a very low current draw - 120 feet uses less than a 1 amp fuse encouraged me to experiment with the medium. In order for it to work properly I also purchased a driver.
Playing with electro luminescent wire was a success. Although the wire is not as flexible as initially anticipated. I was hoping to bend it into a word like structure but it was rather difficult as the wire was quite stiff and had to be held down manually to stop it from losing its shape. It was fairly simple to set up using the instructions supplied. I also tested using electroluminescent paper.
The applications of these two experiments have inspired many concept ideas. The work below illustrates a workshop led by Jon Rogers. (I luckily got a sneak preview before the event opens to the public) shows the possibilities and simplicity of the electroluminescent products. These examples shown below directly relate to 'Douceurs' in the sense the the individuals have used the paper to write messages and highlight stamps.
Looking into new ways of manipulating current technology has been a great source of inspiration. A beautiful concept crammed with simple technology is the industrial clock by designer yugo nakamura.
experimenting with sensors and LED's.
processing.
Having no previous experience of processing this was an exciting and quite complicated venture at times. I was keen to explore what processing could do to words and text on a screen. These experiments enabled me to manipulate the canvas, it was a subtle and simple way of learning and experimenting.
The concept of the way we erase thing has been a notion that has been at the forefront of my thinking throughout the later stage of investigation. We do not really erase anything anymore, not really, how are we going to know how old something is in years to come? Using processing:
void draw() {
fill(0,100); // use black with alpha 10
rectMode(CORNER);
rect(60,10,width,height);
// draw or write a message and watch it fade
stroke(200);
line(pmouseX,pmouseY,mouseX,mouseY);
I played with changing the numbers to determines how quickly the drawn line vanishes, as well as changing the dimensions of the canvas size and the areas which the writing is visible and invisible.
This video shows another little experiment with processing focusing on the idea of handwriting being erased both quickly and slowly.
future.
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED's) have been emerging for years, but they are gradually getting more and more exciting, starting to give traditional LED's a run for their money. In a few years you might be able to wallpaper your home in light-emitting sheets, or maybe turn all your windows into heads-up displays. Why you'd want to do this might be a different question, but there are obviously useful applications, too, such as flexible displays (the roll-up computer or the e-ink newspaper; there's also talk about sewing them into clothing, too, but no one's done it yet like they have with LED's.) Cambridge Display Technology and Epson have also used OLED's to make color printers faster, higher-resolution, and smaller. OLED's also promise to ubiquitize displays: already a keyboard has been prototyped whose keys change according to what alphabet you want to use, or what program / game you have running. When any surface can become an interactive display, what will we want to display where?
One recent myth that's popped up is that OLED's are more efficient than normal LED's. They have higher quantum efficiencies (up to 100%), but this is not the same thing as total device efficiency. A device's efficiency is measured in how many lumens of light you get from so many watts of power input; OLED's have at best about 30 lumens per watt, while LED's have 30 - 60 lm/W.
OLED's are greener to manufacture than LED's or fluorescent's, and can even be printed by inkjet, instead of requiring vacuum chambers, high temperatures, and toxic chemicals like lead or mercury. This is a big reason to keep an eye on them for the future. Because of these facts, they will also end up cheaper to make than today's technologies.
For now, though, the main advantage OLED's have is not brightness or efficiency as a light source, it's the extremely high resolution and fast switching, which make for good displays. They are already better for displays than LCD's, because they're emissive displays (i.e. they give off light, rather than blocking light coming through them from a backlight), and because they switch faster than LCD's. But it will be some time before they can compete as an illumination source with other home / office products, especially until manufacturing cost comes down from economies of scale. OLED's also don't stack up to LED's in terms of robustness: they are shorter-lived, and are easily damaged by moisture. People are of course working on this, but it remains a vulnerability.
The next revolution after flexible lighting perhaps may be paintable lighting. OLED's basically work by having a phosphorescent layer of material between two charged electrodes. Why not have five layers of paint, where the bottom and top layers are insulators (transparent), the second and fourth layers are conductive (also transparent), and the middle is the phosphor? Put a voltage across the conductive layers of paint, and the entire surface of your room/object/whatever can glow uniformly.
Researchers are continual working on new technologies for displaying words and texts. This has been a area of strong interest throughout my investigation. Imagine that one day "powering up your laptop may require that you unroll it first."
Engineers at the University of Toronto are the first Canadian team to construct flexible organic light emitting devices (FOLEDs), technology that could lay the groundwork for future generations of bendable television, computer and mobile phone screens. "It opens up a whole new range of possibilities for the future," says Zheng-Hong Lu, a professor in U of T's Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Today's flat panel displays are made on heavy, inflexible glass that can break during transportation and installation. Lu, working with post-doctoral fellow Sijin Han and engineering science student Brian Fung, developed FOLEDs made on a variety of lightweight, flexible materials ranging from transparent plastic films to reflective metal foils that can bend or roll into any shape.
FOLED technology could be manufactured using a low-cost, high-efficiency mass production method, Lu says. The team, which is already commercializing some related technology, hopes a marketable device could be created within two to three years. The FOLED technology potentially offers the ability to use roll-to-roll processing, much the same as newspapers are currently printed. This has tremendous implication for the realization of very low-cost and yet high-efficiency mass production cost to produce these types of displays. Now, let's hope that FOLEDs will soon be available.