3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
04 My Home Part I 38 My Home Part II
08 Other People’s Homes Part I 44 The Kit
20 Interacting with the ResearchKit 82 More Examples
26 Other People’s Homes
Part II 92 Project Calendar
5. Welcome to Homesense, and welcome to your ResearchBook!
We’re really delighted that you’re taking part in this project with
us.
In this book there are questions to help you think about the
way that you live in your home. We’ll tell you about what all the
bits and pieces in the ResearchKit are, what they do, and how
they work together. We’ve also picked some lovely examples of
things that other people have made for their own homes, and
we’ll show you how you could make your versions of them too.
Finally, we’ll take everything that we’ve shown you and bring it
together to help you create your own DIY smart home, and live
with the technologies that you’ve developed.
We’ve had a lot of help in getting Homesense from a spark of
an idea to the ResearchKit, the ResearchBook in your hands,
and every other part of the project. Homesense has been spon-
sored by the good people at EDF R&D. We’ve also had invalu-
able help from the folks at ‘HighWire’, Lancaster University, in
helping us to design your ResearchKit.
Have fun, and happy making!
The team from Tinker London
October 2010
2
7. MY HOME I
Making sense of my home
When it comes to living in your house, you are the
expert. You are the only one who really knows what
your home life is like, and it’s you who (for better or
worse) will have to live with the projects that get built
over the next three months.
Below are some questions that might help spark ideas.
They aren’t technical questions, but rather questions
about your home and how you live in it. In a later chap-
ter, we will revisit these questions and look at how to
turn your ideas into projects — but not yet.
4
8. 1. Three things I like to do when I am home are:
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2. Three things I don’t like to do when I am home are:
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3. Three things (people, events, etc.) that I like to know about when I am
home are:
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4. What is my favourite object in my home, and why?:
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9. 5. What is my least favourite object in my home, and why?:
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6. These are three problems in my home that I’d like to solve:
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7. These are three parts of my home life that I enjoy, and that I’d like to
make even better:
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8. This is an idea I have that doesn’t fit into any of those categories:
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6
13. AMBIENT ORB
Mood lighting with intelligence. An ambient orb is a light
that changes color in response to some kind of information,
providing a gentle alert system. Nick O’Leary’s DIY version
(pictured) tracks energy usage. A commercial version tracks
the stock market.
What kind of information might you want to keep track of?
What ways to display it might be more or less interesting,
more or less intrusive?
http://knolleary.net/tag/ambient-orb/
http://www.ambientdevices.com/cat/orb/orborder.html
10
15. WEATHER CLOCK
Old aesthetics meets new technology. Sean Carney’s weath-
er clock connects to the internet, downloads the weather
condition and temperature, and displays this information with
the hands of an antique clock face. Like the ambient orb, it
provides information in the background, but it has a different
visual impact.
What do you find visually interesting or attractive? How might
you make a hacked gadget fit your home’s existing decor?
http://www.seancarney.ca/projects/weather-clock/
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17. BAKER TWEET
Tell the world. Bakertweet allows busy bakers to alert custom-
ers when bread is fresh out of the oven. Turn a dial to select
your baked good, press a button, and the message is sent.
Are there times when you want to send a message but can’t
or don’t want to use a computer or phone? Who do you need
to reach, and what’s the best way to reach them?
http://www.bakertweet.com/
14
19. AUTOMATIC CAT FEEDER
Practical problem, meet practical solution. Mathew J. Newton
wanted a way to feed his cats during short trips away from
home, without bothering the neighbors, overfeeding the cats,
or having the cats starve if something went wrong. So he built
an internet-connected automatic cat feeder.
How might you combine electronics and physical structures
to perform specific tasks (like feeding two cats a set amount
of food)? Sometimes things break — how might you plan for
or respond to the possibility of breakdown?
http://www.newtonnet.co.uk/catfeeder/
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21. MEASURING ELECTRICITY
THE EASY WAY
So you want to know how much energy you’re using. Should
you spend money on a commercial power meter? Joozt took
a simpler approach -- he noticed that his electricity meter has
a light that flashes every time a set amount of electricity is
used. By tracking every time the light flashes, he was able to
easily record his electricity usage over time.
What specific activities relate to your energy usage, and
which of those do you want to measure or influence? When
designing a project, what can you notice that will make things
easier and simpler?
http://pwrusage.codeplex.com/
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25. By now you hopefully have a few ideas of what you’d like
to create to make your home life more convenient, more
connected, or more fun. The next question is: how do you
make it?
This is where the Homesense kit comes in. This toolkit,
based on the Tinkerkit for Arduino, is a collection of
electronics modules that can be joined together to create
interactive behaviors. All of the modules are connected
with cables included in your kit, so that you can easily add,
remove, and swap different pieces.
Your creations will be built from a combination of your
ideas, the kit, help (and programming) from your local ex-
pert, and some arts&crafts ingenuity.
22
27. HOW DO I GET STARTED?
In general, you can break an interactive project down into three main steps:
Step 1: Learn something about the world
Step 2: Make a decision based on what you learned
Step 3: Take an action based on your decision
So to start, you will have three questions to ask:
What do you need to learn, and how will you learn it?
How will you decide what to do based on that information? and
What will happen as a result?
The items in the ResearchKit are broken into three main categories: Sensing,
Making Decisions, and Acting. You will use the Sensing modules to answer the
first question, the Making Decision modules to answer the second question,
and the Acting modules to answer the third.
Sensing modules detect something about the physical world — light,
temperature, position, etc. This information gets sent to a Making Decisions
module, which uses code to interpret that information and decide what actions
to take. That module then sends information to one or more Acting modules,
which turn the decision into physical action — turning on or off a light, making
a noise, moving something, etc. Depending on what you build, you may also
use your computer for any or all of these steps. You might, for example, receive
information from the internet, or use a program on your computer to make a
decision, or take an action by sending a message to the internet. You can look
at Section VII for a detailed description of each item in the ResearchKit. For now,
let’s look at some practical examples of how you might use the kit
to bring an idea to life.
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31. AMBIENT ORB
The hardest part of building an ambient orb is deciding what you want to
measure. To start off simple, the orb in this example will display the current tem-
perature using a light that fades from green to red.
Sensing:
What do I want to sense?
What is the temperature?
What do I use to sense that?
The temperature sensor from the ResearchKit.
Deciding:
What decisions do I need to make?
If the temperature is lower, make a green light brighter and a red light dimmer.
If the temperature is higher, make a red light brighter and a green light dimmer.
What do I use to make these decisions?
The Arduino and the connector hub.
Acting:
What actions do I want to take?
Make a green and a red light brighter and dimmer.
What do I use to make those actions occur?
A red and a green LED light module from the ResearchKit.
Some other things to think about, get, or build:
A lamp to hold and diffuse the lights. A box or other enclosure for the Arduino
and/or temperature sensor. The exact location of the temperature sensor and
what might affect the temperature in its immediate vicinity.
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33. WEATHER CLOCK
This clock displays the weather condition (rainy, cloudy, sunny, etc.) and local
temperature using the hands of a clock and a clock face decorated with weather
indicators.
Sensing:
What do I want to sense?
The weather condition and temperature
What do I use to sense that?
Download weather forecasts from the internet. (Are there other ways to get
similar information using sensors, rather than the internet?)
Deciding:
What decisions do I need to make?
If it is rainy, turn a dial to point to the ‘rainy’ picture; if it is cloudy, turn a dial to
point at the ‘cloudy’ picture; and so on.
If the temperature is 23, turn a second dial to point at ‘23’ and so on.
What do I use to make these decisions?
The Arduino and connector hub.
Acting:
What actions do I want to take?
Control two dials on a clock.
What do I use to make those actions occur?
Two position motors (servo motors) in the ResearchKit.
Some other things to think about, get, or build:
The external casing of a large clock, a clock face with the necessary pictures, and
clock hands to connect to the position motors.
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35. BAKER TWEET
Send a message to Twitter with the turn of a dial.
Sensing:
What do I want to sense?
Which message has been selected, and when it should be sent
What do I use to sense that?
A knob as a selector for a person to choose a specific message.
A button that a person can press to send that message.
Deciding:
What decisions do I need to make?
When the knob is rotated to a certain position, select the message associated
with that position, and display that message on a text screen.
If someone presses the button, send the selected message to Twitter.
What do I use to make these decisions?
The Arduino and connector hub.
Acting:
What actions do I want to take?
Display a message on a text screen. Send a message to Twitter.
What do I use to make those actions occur?
The text display screen in the Homesense kit. A computer with an internet
connection.
Some other things to think about, get, or build:
A box or other physical object to hold and stabilize the Arduino, knob, button,
and text display.
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37. AUTOMATIC CAT FEEDER
This is a simplified, non-internet-connected version of the cat feeder that feeds a
cat at regular intervals.
Sensing:
What do I want to sense?
What time it is.
What do I use to sense that?
You computer. (A simpler solution, although it requires buying some more
electronics, is an item called a Real Time Clock module. This is a small electronic
device that just keeps track of the time.)
Deciding:
What decisions do I need to make?
If it is time to feed the cats, dispense some cat food.
What do I use to make these decisions?
The Arduino and connector hub.
Acting:
What actions do I want to take?
Dispense cat food.
What do I use to make those actions occur?
The position motors (servo motors) in your Homesense kit to control some sort
of gate that can let cat food flow through it.
Some other things to think about, get, or build:
The hardest part of this project would be building the physical device for
holding and dispensing the cat food. You might build something from scratch,
or you might buy a container that you can modify for automatic dispensing.
Look for the easiest solution!
34
39. EASY ELECTRICITY
If your electricity meter has a flashing LED, keep track of the flashing to monitor
your electricity usage.
Sensing:
What do I want to sense?
Every time the LED on the electricity meter flashes.
What do I use to sense that?
The light sensor in your Homesense kit.
Deciding:
What decisions do I need to make?
If the LED flashes, then I have used another unit of electricity. Store and/or
display this information.
What do I use to make these decisions?
The Arduino and connector hub.
Acting:
What actions do I want to take?
What actions do you want to take? Do you want to display your electricity usage
on a screen? Do you want to record it over time on your computer? Do you want
to make an ambient orb that alerts you about low and high usage?
What do I use to make those actions occur?
Depending on the actions you decide on, you might want the text display
screen, some LED lights, and/or your computer.
Some other things to think about, get, or build:
You will need to physically build something to shield the light sensor from
external light, so that you don’t get false readings from other light sources.
36
41. MY HOME II Sensing my home
Now it’s your turn. Look back at the questions from Section
III, or think of ideas you already have.
Pick three ideas that you like, and break them down into
Sensing, Making Decisions, and Acting. Work with your
expert to determine how to bring them to life.
From these ideas, select one as your first project,
and start building.
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43. What do I want to sense?
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What do I use to sense that?
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What decisions do I need to make?
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What do I use to make these decisions?
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What actions do I want to take?
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What do I use to make those actions occur?
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What else do I need to consider?
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45. What do I want to sense?
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What do I use to sense that?
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What decisions do I need to make?
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What do I use to make these decisions?
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What actions do I want to take?
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What do I use to make those actions occur?
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What else do I need to consider?
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51. DECIDING
These modules form the core of how your project makes
decisions. With the help of your expert, you will be able to
use code loaded onto an Arduino and/or on your computer
to control how and when things happen.
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52. 49
3 2 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
ARE
GND
1 1 1 1 Digital
PWM
PWM0
PWM1
ARDUINO
THE BRAIN
53. Description
In a nutshell, the Arduino is the brains behind all the brawn. It’s what makes the “magic“
and “witchcraft“ of all this electronics happen.
When you build a project, you connect sensing modules and acting modules to the
Arduino through the connector hub. The Arduino uses code to make decisions about
what to do, based on what it senses about its environment.
Connections
There are two rows of sockets running down two of the sides of the Arduino. The
connector hub connects to the Arduino by plugging into these sockets, and you con-
nect the different modules to the Arduino through the connector hub.
The Arduino connects to your computer over a USB cable. When you load code onto the
Arduino from your computer, it is sent through the USB cable.
The Arduino receives power either through a USB cable connected to your computer or
through a power supply plugged into the wall. Depending on the project, you may want
to keep your Arduino connected to your computer, or you may want to take it away from
your computer and plug it into the wall.
50
54. PHYSICAL KEYBOARD
The physical keyboard is another kind of brain. It lets you
a b
use sensing modules as keys on a keyboard – each plug on
9
space c
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10
the physical keyboard corresponds to a particular letter or
escape d
6
11
new line e
character.
5
I2
down f When a sensing module detects a particular kind of input,
13
4
up g the physical keyboard sends that character directly to your
3
I4
right h computer through the USB cable. Specifically, the
15
2
left i physical keyboard sends a character when an input from a
I6
1
sensing module changes from HIGH to LOW (the moment
when you release a button, for example). It works best with
“Yes or No” (digital) sensing modules. The physical keyboard
is less flexible than the Arduino and connector hub, but it lets
you send information to your computer without having to
write any code.
51
55. CONNECTOR HUB
The connector hub makes it easier for you to connect the
different Sensing and Acting modules to the Arduino. Your
3 2 1 0
5
05
I5
ResearchKit comes with several cables. You can plug any
04
I4
7 6 5 4
0A
single Sensing or Acting module into one end of a cable,
03
GND9 VA
I3
and then plug the other end of the cable into the connector
13 12 11 10 9 8
02
5V
I2
RES
hub.
01
I1
GND
The connector hub contains 12 labeled connectors in two
AREF
00
I0
rows: an INPUT row and an OUTPUT row. Sensing modules
connect to the input row, and Acting modules connect to
the output row. There are also two rows of black sockets
along two edges of the connector hub. The text display
module uses one of these sockets, but usually you can
ignore them.
52
57. SENSING
Yes or No?
The sensing modules in this section all detect whether
something does or does not happen. They give the Arduino
one of two values: HIGH (meaning yes) and LOW (meaning
no). On each sensing module, a small LED light will light up
when the module is sending HIGH and will turn off when the
module is sending LOW.
All of these modules connect to the INPUT plugs on the
connector hub. In the Arduino code, they are treated as
digital inputs.
54
58. PUSH BUTTON
On, off. Yes, no. High, low. That is pretty much it.
It produces a HIGH value when pressed, a LOW value
when not pressed.
55
59. TOUCH SENSOR
The touch sensor functions in almost the same way as
the push button, but it responds to being touched by
bare skin rather than to being pressed. It produces a
HIGH value when touched and a LOW value when not
touched.
Please note that the touch sensor performs an auto
calibration when it is turned on. If someone is touching
the sensor when it is turned on, it will not work. To fix this,
stop touching the sensor, and press the reset button
(located on the connector hub between the two rows of
plugs) or unplug and replug the power supply/USB cable.
56
60. TOGGLE SWITCH
In one position, the switch produces a HIGH value, and in
the other position, it produces a LOW value. Think of this
as like a traditional light switch.
57
61. TILT SWITCH
The tilt switch detects orientation. Basically, it can tell
which way up it is. Inside the switch is a metal ball
bearing. In one position, the ball bridges a gap between
two wires and allows electrical contact to be made. In
UP other positions, the ball is not touching the wires, so the
switch is left open.
To get the most sensitive response to a small change in
angle, position the switch so the groove running down
one side of the black box is facing down, and the arrow
on the end is pointing up. Rock the module backwards
and forwards to see what results you get.
58
63. SENSING
How much?
The sensing modules in this section all detect how much
of something is happening – instead of sending a simple
yes or no, they send a number that relates to the amount
or intensity of what they are sensing.These modules send the
Arduino a number between 0 and 1023. What these numbers
mean depends on the specific sensing module.
On most of these sensing modules, a small LED light will
shine with a brightness that relates to the number the
module is sending – it will be all the way off when the
number is 0, and all the way on when the number is 1023.
All of these modules connect to the INPUT plugs on the
connector hub. In the Arduino code, they are treated as ana-
log inputs.
60
64. SLIDE SCALE
The slide scale has a handle that slides left and right, similar to
the slider used in some cars to control the heat. Depending on
the handle’s position, the module will send a number between
(almost) 0 and (almost) 1023.
61
65. KNOB
The knob is a rotating controller, a bit like the dials you
use on a stereo to control the volume. As you rotate the
black handle, the module will send a number ranging
from (almost) 0 to (almost) 1023.
62
66. LIGHT SENSOR
This module detects how much light is shining on it. When it
gets darker, the module sends a lower number, and when it
gets brighter, the module sends a higher number.
The light sensor will send numbers that are somewhere
between 0 and 1023, but they will probably not go as low
as 0 or as high as 1023. You will need to take readings in
your light conditions to see how the numbers change from
dark to bright. Keep in mind that those values may change if
the ambient light level changes.
63
67. TEMPERATURE SENSOR
The temperature sensor detects the temperature of
its immediate surroundings. It can detect the ambient air
temperature. If you touch it, it will slowly warm up to your skin
temperature.
A higher number corresponds to a warmer temperature, and a
lower number corresponds to a cooler temperature.
64
68. BEND SENSOR
The bend sensor is a 4” long piece of flexible plastic that can sense how
much it is being bent. When flat, it will send a higher number, and when
curved, it will send a lower number. The bend sensor only detects being
bent in one direction – if you bend it so that the row of gray boxes is on
the outside of the curve, the numbers will change. In the other direction,
nothing will happen.
Like the light sensor, this module’s numbers do not cover the entire range
between and 1023 –they will probably vary between 400 and 600. You
will need to take readings from this sensor to figure out what numbers
correspond to what degree of curvature. Please note that the bend
sensor is fragile! If you yank on it or bend it too far from where it connects
to the module, it will probably break at the connection point. If you fold it
completely (like a piece of paper), it will snap. When you use this sensor,
consider how to secure it so that that connection point is kept stable and
so that it is not bent too far.
65
69. MAGNET SENSOR
This sensor uses a phenomenon called the Hall effect to detect
nearby magnetic fields. If it detects no magnetic field, it sends
a number in the middle of the 0-1023 range – something like
514. If it detects a nearby magnetic field, the number will go
either up or down depending on whether the field is positive
or negative. Unless you have an INCREDIBLY STRONG SUPER
MAGNETIC FIELD, the range is quite close – a few centimeters.
You can use this module with the magnet included in this kit.
If you bring the magnet to within 1-2 centimeters of the sensor,
the number will go up or down. Try flipping which side of the
magnet is facing the magnet sensor to see how the numbers
change.
66
70. MOTION SENSOR
The motion sensor detects changes in movement (accelera-
tion) along two directions (you could think of these as ‘across’
and ‘down’ on a sheet of paper attached to the sensor). Unlike
the other sensor modules, this module has 2 plugs, one for each
direction of movement. If it detects movement in one direction, it
sends a lower number. If it detects movement in the other direc-
tion, it sends a higher number.
The motion sensor always detects gravity – one thing it can be
used for is determining which side is facing up, as the number will
change depending on its position in relation to the pull of gravity.
It also detects when it is moved or shaken.
This sensor can be a bit difficult to understand or to use. We have
given you a few examples you can use to get a sense of how
moving this sensor affects the numbers it sends.
67
73. ACTING
While sensing modules translate environmental and sensory
information about the world into signals that the Arduino can
understand, the action modules take commands from the
Arduino and translate them into a variety of actions in the
physical world, such as light, sound, and movement.
The action modules (with one exception) plug into
the OUTPUT row on the connector hub.
70
74. LIGHT
These small lights are known as LEDs (light emitting diodes).
You can control them digitally and turn them on or off. You can
also control them as analog outputs by making them dimmer
or brighter.
71
75. BUZZER
The buzzer is a small piece of metal that moves when it
receives a change in electric current. It produces sound a bit
like a speaker. By turning an output pin on and off at different
speeds, you can make the buzzer play different notes – and
even tunes.
72
76. POSITION CONTROL-
A servo is a type of motor that rotates to a specific position
according to the commands you send it. Servos allow us to
turn, move and adjust things without actually touching them.
You can see small servos in many toys, such as remote control
cars and toy robots.
These servos will rotate through about half a circle – they do
not go all the way around. Unlike many other components in
this kit, they are not as simple as an analog or digital output.
Rather, you have to send commands in a certain way, and the
servo then has its own logic to interpret those commands into
its arm’s position.
73
77. TEXT DISPLAY
This small screen can be used to show small amounts of stationary
or scrolling text. The display can show two rows of 16 characters –
enough to display a few words, a short sentence, or a few numbers.
This item differs from other items in your kit because it cannot
simply be plugged into any output plug. Instead, you need to plug
it into one of the output plugs, but also plug the middle wire (which
has been separated) into the socket labeled “1” from the row of
sockets next to the output pins.
Like the servo motor, the LCD display is not simply a digital or
analog output. Rather, you have code that you can use to send
commands to the display, and the display contains its own logic
that translates those commands into text.
74
80. CONNECTING WIRES
You have 30 wires in three lengths to connect the various modules to the connector hub.
The connections are designed so that they only plug in one way.
77
81. USB CABLE
The USB cable serves three purposes:
1. It provides power to the Arduino (and everything you connect to the Arduino)
2. It provides a way for you to send code from your computer to the Arduino
3. It can provide a way for you to send and receive messages between your Arduino and
the computer while the Arduino is running. This might be useful if you want to get infor-
mation from your Arduino and upload it to the internet, for example.
78
82. POWER SUPPLY
Once you have put code onto your Arduino, you can take it away from your computer
and power it with the power supply. This can enable you to create devices that operate
completely independently from your computer.
The Arduino has a connector – next to the USB connector – for receiving power from an
external supply.
79
87. BOTANICALLS
Water please!
When your plant begins to feel thirsty, Botanicalls offers a
connection to your plant via Twitter status updates to your
mobile phone. When your plant needs water, it will tweet to
let you know, and will thank you after you water it!
http://www.botanicalls.com/
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89. GOOD NIGHT LAMP
Bon Nuit, Goodnight, Buona Notte... Feel connected to loved
ones who are far away.
The Good Night Lamp project is a family of lamps which allow
people to communicate the act of coming back home to dis-
tant friends and family.
Each set of lamps consists of one large lamp and several small
lamps, which you give to friends and family anywhere in the
world. When you turn the larger lamp on, your friends’ small
lamps also turn on, indicating that you’ve come home.
Inversely, the smaller lamps that you’ve collected from your
friends
will turn on/off as your friends come home, go out, go to bed.
You’ll never come back to an empty home again.
http://www.goodnightlamp.com/
86
91. PLUSH IRRADIATED
SIRLOIN
Faced with an assignment to make a plush night light,
I thought, “Why light?” and brainstormed reasons for a
stuffed toy to light up. In a glowworm toy, for instance, the
light mimics nature. I’d been reading Michael Pollan’s The
Omnivore’s Dilemma, and this got me thinking about the chain
of refrigeration, labor, and irradiation involved in American beef
production.
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Plush-Irradiated-Sir-
loin/73/1
88
93. ELECTRONIC
EMBROIDERY
This picture of a frog catching fireflies is embellished with
lights that bring the bugs to life. Conductive thread is the
magic ingredient, bridging the gap between rigid metal
and soft floss. To make a stitched scene light up, combine
traditional embroidery techniques with a few common
electronics components. The possibilities are endless, and the
result is an artful conversation piece.
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Electronic-Embroi-
dery/44/1
90
