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.
NEW YORK - February 12, 2001 - The WowWee Toy division of Hasbro, Inc. today introduced the first toy line to incorporate advanced "nervous network" technology. New B.I.O. Bugs (Bio-mechanical Integrated Organisms), the hit of last month's Hong Kong Toy Fair, are robotic bugs that can autonomously act by themselves, come and go as they please, identify friend or foe and have the ability to avoid or climb over obstacles in their path.
Sorry about that. The last ad for the ARDX Experimenter's Kit for Arduino? Wrong. Our graphics designer, Chris (yes, I'll give credit where credit is due) used an old template for our latest Servo Advertisement, and didn't change the price. No, it's not $30 - it's still $84.95USD. And continuing the blame-game, I gave him […]
We will be so emotionally moved by the celebration of GPS Day tomorrow (the 14th) that we'll be taking Monday, February 16th off to recuperate. Go ahead and place orders or send emails - we'll get right back to you and continue shipping on Tuesday when we resume all business as usual. If you want […]
Rory Nugent (of Solar Xylophone fame) has posted his thesis presentation to the Interactive Telecommunications Program, which heavily features BEAM devices. By "building things with a sense of life", he's documenting what we've known for a good while - autonomous devices ("pets") offer unusual interesting relationships. Keep up the good work!
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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.