The purpose of this project was to design an interactive elevator with an art display that covered the back wall with the hopes of providing users a light-weight, yet engaging, elevator experience. All to often, when we ride elevators we find ourselves staring at our feet or our smart phones with the intent of escaping the awkward silence and/or forced interaction between other elevator users. With this prototype, the goal is to show that users can voluntarily interact with the wall of art behind them while they ride to their destination. This installation overcomes the limitations of the cramped environment by providing mental space to its users, which lifts the burden of awkward social interaction between strangers. Even further, this design encourages social interaction as the various sensors along the side-walls work in harmony to affect the art on display.
In this prototype, there exists a fusion of various sensors including Flex sensors, potentiometers and buttons, each of which alters the output display in a unique way. In particular, each sensor is programmed to have an effect that is influenced by the physical act of stimulating the sensor (e.g. bending the Flex sensor will created a "bending/squeezing" effect on the art). The visual output is programmed in Processing. The sensors are controlled by an Arduino Uno, which communicates in real-time via USB to the PC where the Processing application is running. Once the prototype is running, the Laser Cut elevator model can then be placed over the computer so that the screen forms the back wall of the elevator. For reference, view the photos in this repository.
This was a project for CS194-85: Critical Making at UC Berkeley during the Spring 2016 semester.