Posted on by Bryan Leow

009 / 010 – FYP Progress

What I have for now:

Ok the past 2 weeks I was busy with other things so I really apologise for the lack of progress 🙁 I’m finding it hard to cope with workstudy and side hustle, and I know it’s affecting my FYP. I’m making effort to reduce all these external commitments and focusing on FYP.

I have not followed through with making more prototypes, sketching, thinking about ideas, or even researching.

Anchorwatch

My only real progress was when I made 1 Anchorwatch prototype which I’ve shown on Wednesday. This was done last week.

Thanks Shah for allowing me to use his filament and 3D printer!

oops the part broke
the case for the Arduino Nano, which doubles as a cap for the part that houses the batteries
strap to improvise the lack of fitting

After building this, I think it won’t work because the results feels like it’s too direct to me, like it doesn’t feel impactful, doesn’t feel convincing enough. As mentioned early in the semester, I’m doing this just for experimentation. Wearing this for a while didn’t make me feel confident about it. It’s wobbly and its haptic feedback is weak. Even if it may work, it’s still a “copy” of Auger Loizeau’s Subliminal Watch. This definitely need more work to develop further, but I’m thinking of a better idea already.

Instead of continuing to develop Anchorwatch, I want to apply the same concept of internalising Chronoception through the “Sound Watch” as mentioned in my previous post. This is, to me, a clearer and more multi-dimensional device than the Anchorwatch.

I think this has more potential. Why:

  • I’m using bone conduction, which directly links the device to our body, giving a much more obvious feedback.
  • The device feeds more information (hour, minutes, seconds), and potentially has the same effect as Anchorwatch where the user can learn intervals, except the user gets more out of this with more information.

For now this is enough to convince me that this will be a better idea. I will use what prof mentioned about finding relevant research to back this up.

Some things I have to think about during my experimentation:

  • What does hour, minutes, seconds sound like? How do I make this sound natural to us, with almost 0 disruption?
    • Seconds should sound short, clicky. 60 different tones for 60 seconds.
    • Minutes should be more balanced, a subtle tone in the middle range. 60 tones that gradually change as the minutes pass.
    • Hours should sound long, humming, and always in the background.
  • What tech should I use? How do I build it? I need a proper blueprint and I need to look for the right components.

I should also consider the appearance. For quick reference, here’s the look of the device I’m going for:

Image taken from https://www.claytonbartonartist.com/?_escaped_fragment_=sci-fi-soldier-helmets.jpg%2Fzoom%2Fcx2j%2Fimage1qky
Image taken from https://www.designboom.com/technology/hiroto-ikeuchi-cyberpunk-wearable-technology-04-02-2018/?utm_source=designboom+daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=surreal,+yet+functional
Image taken from https://www.deviantart.com/edsfox/art/White-fox-sketch-560197326
Image taken from https://twitter.com/archillect/status/695210207601893377/photo/1
Image taken from https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qNBgL

Other things…

I don’t have anything else that is super concrete yet. I’ll spend more time this week to work on it. :’)

3-Week Plan Ahead

  • Week 11
    • First thing I’ll do this coming weekend is to reorganise all the accumulated research and consultations to make sense of everything. So when Monday comes I can immediately start refreshed. I’ll also update my FYP page (timeline, keywords, concepts, etc) for my own good.
    • Start getting hands dirty again with Sound Watch prototype, including trying to get the appearance to look like a proper product. I’ll be using buzzers first instead of bone conduction to get the feel of the sound first.
    • Research on the science that apply to Sound Watch and use them when describing my project next week.
    • Consult prof when I’m done (probably Friday)
  • Week 12
    • Start working on Weather Sensograph (or Third-I or Money Sense)
    • Going through the same process: do the appropriate research and not get overwhelmed by information
    • Start working on presentation slides for interim presentation
    • Consult prof when I’m done.
  • Week 13 (Friday 13th presentation)
    • Start working on 3rd prototype (doesn’t have to finish)
    • Finish all slides
    • Rethink about concept and progress to ensure things are sound and for clarity

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