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.
Monday! Monday! Monday! Our shipment of Gear Motors and Solar Cells are both expected to arrive on Monday November, 24th. In anticipation of this joyous event, we have thrown the following back online: SCC2433B-MSE Gear Motor SCC3733 Gear Motor GM3 Gear Motor GM8 Gear Motor K TB Turbot Tumbling Robot Kit SCC2433B-MSE-1 Custom Parts Bundles […]
Gahh! Man, are these Escap motors popular! We're already sold out of these high gear-reduction versions. We'll have to see what we can do to get more online soon...
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with deep regret that I present you with our last news post of August. Next week will become September, which causes uncontrollable weeping for students, parents of students, and anyone who was ever a student. Lots of pain all around. Heck, some of the Calgary trees are already starting to […]
Now we definitely need these. Spring had died somewhere along the way up north, so sunlight in pills would be awesome. Awesome Tiny Lasercut Robots ...made out of bamboo and fluorescent acrylic (By Junichi Tsuneoka of CHIBIPOCKET, via Ponoko). 3D Printed Candles A likeness of oneself in a shape of a candle - who wouldn't […]
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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.