DESIGN SQUAD-ers take a shine to hip-hop artist Wyatt Jackson when they try to create a sound and light show triggered by Jackson's moves and grooves. In a live performance, it's DS night at the Strand Theatre!
- 1) The Challenge (12:53)
Watch the Show
Bonus Footage
Blue Team's Process
Red Team's Process
- 1) The Challenge (12:53)
- 2) Brainstorm (3:27)
- 3) Design (2:22)
- 4) Test (1:49)
- 5) Judging, Part 1 (2:36)
- 6) Final Judging (4:20)
- 1) Accidental Discoveries (00:38)
- 2) Tom Makes Noises (00:24)
- 3) Tom Feels Pressure! (00:20)
- How do you use wireless sensing technology to create a light and music show? Blue Team focused mostly on the dance itself and refined the moves that worked best with the sensors.
- The floor sensors were a thin layer of foam stuck between two steel sheets. They figured out where to place the sensors based on their dance steps.
- They recorded sound effects in the bathroom and then figured out the placement and timing of the lighting and sound effects.
- Since they had 8 sensors and only 4 inputs, they decided to connect two floor sensors to each input. They wanted different ways of causing the same sound effect, so they connected the floor sensors in parallel, not in series.
- The flex sensors weren't so great but the client thought Blue Team's sound and floor-sensor parts of the dance were the best and picked them as the winners.
- How do you use wireless sensing technology to create a light and music show? Red Team brainstormed a lot of ideas but ended up using the flex sensors most.
- They figured out how to attach the flex sensors to a dancer's arms and made the floor sensors using a thin layer of foam between two steel sheets. Finally, they added their sound and lighting effects into a computer program.
- When the flex sensors were straight, they had a low resistance to the flow of electric current. But when the sensors were bent, the resistance was much higher. This is how they controlled the lights in the show.
- Red Team was able to program and attach sensors to a dancer's body and a dance floor. They also choreographed a dance with specific steps to trigger their music and light effects.
- The client preferred the middle flex sensor part of their design (the colorful lights section) to Blue Team's floor sensors, but Red Team didn't win the challenge.
Build a dance pad that sounds buzzers and flashes lights.
Build a circuit to power an alarm so small that you can hide it.