So for this third hack we started with an online-bought robot costume, but being a creative tech people, we couldn't resist making it better by using some brilliant LED strips that react to sound.
The dense LEDs (144 per meter) were used on the helmet. More spaced apart (30 per meter) were used on the arms. All of them drive from one Teensy receiving analog signal from the microphone located in the helmet. The microphone captures both the voice of the wearer and ambient sounds.
Here's what it looks like reacting to the music:
Technical Build:
The idea was to attach two denser LED strips to the face mask guard and the rest to the arms of the costume. They both would react to ambient sound and light up depending on the frequency of sound. The helmet's strip would have the lower frequencies in the middle and the arms would have them start at the wrists.
The face mask guard took 52 LEDs per strip and arms got 25 LEDs per arm. These calculations are reflected in the code below.
For the arms, I divided each LED strip into two sections (since the costume itself had separate foam pieces for forearm and shoulder), and gave them their own battery. That allowed me to have a simple 2 pin connection for joining the arms to the helmet.
One problem when dealing with RGB Strips on wearables is that the solder pads are small and the wires break off too easily. I tried to minimize this by adhering a small wooden backing to the end of each strip. This acts like a cast and, when sealed with heat shrink, immobilizes the connections. I cut the supports on the laser cutter, but you can use anything. Popsicle sticks would work as well.
Here is the basic wiring diagram I used:
Wiring for Robot Costume
Software:
This code uses hardware support for FFT that's built into the Teensy. If you want to use a different processor, you will need to add a FFT library and modify the code accordingly.
I found some code online that was almost perfect for this project. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I reused that code, and modified it for my needs. Original credit has been left in the code.
Got another update from Chance "knitsu" Brown that he's got some high-resolution images and videos of his Roboraptor online now. After some initial browsing, didja know that there's going to be two books on the Robosapien soon? And there's several online communities? (Here's one)
...oh, and they also should want to work with us. We have a few positions open we want to fill with people that have a good sense of humour, have some geek qualities, and can tell the difference between a diode and resistor (or sincerely want to learn!) Here are the types of people we're […]
Green 3D Printer 3D printing "filament" infused with living seeds: this is when "eat your greens" takes on a whole new meaning. (Via Colossal) Longitude and latitudeBeautiful CNC renders of wave patterns captured by drone, by David Bowen. (Via CreativeApplications) Light calligraphy Painting with light never gets old - especially if it is beautiful Arabic […]
PCBGrip Cylinder Accessory (4 pack) $7.20 This accessory is great for adding standoffs and rotating elements to your PCBGrip (or Openbeam!). PCBGrip Tri Nut Accessory (pairs) $5.52 Inserting and aligning nuts into Openbeam can be a bit tricky, but this clever, simple tri-nut insert is a simple, effective solution to the problem. T-Bolt Accessory (pairs) […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.