Module 3 Activity Research

Weekly Activity Template

Qiyao Dong

Project 3

Module 3

In this module, I learned how to transform abstract data and simple hardware into expressive spatial experiences. Starting with Arduino fundamentals, we experimented with ultrasonic sensors and rangefinders, learning to trigger sequences based on sensor readings to determine states. I came to see sensors, software, user interface/user experience, and installation as interconnected systems that require testing, not just coding. We also learned to send data serially to TouchDesigner and map occupancy values to different 2D animation states, enabling the actual movement at the doorway to drive the Christmas tree's state within the projection. Throughout this process, I gained heightened awareness of the importance of timing, readability, safety, and prototyping within the physical space. This ensures interactions feel intuitive and the visual narrative remains clearly understandable.

Workshop 1

Props prepared before the start of the Smart Kitchen Mini-Theater.

Smart Refrigerator: Capable of generating recipes based on the ingredients currently stored inside.

The receipe provided by the Smart Refrigerator.

Smart Oven: Features voice control and high flexibility.

Robot vacuum cleaner: Capable of detecting stains in the environment and cleaning them automatically.

Activity 1: My Research

A sketch illustrating how to incorporate the sensor into this design.

Range Finder sensor used in this design.

Arduino Uno connected to an ultrasonic sensor and a range finder sensor for testing entry/exit detection logic.

Two sensors were simulated and mounted on a paper model to replicate the effect of a user entering and leaving the premises.

Activity 2: My Research

This diagram shows the visual logic network we built in TouchDesigner. It switches between four visual scenes for the Christmas tree based on different numerical values.

The paper prototype of the Christmas tree and house.

Try to use projection mapping to the paper prototype.

A Christmas tree that changes its state based on data collected from sensors.

Meteor showers become denser or sparser based on data collected by sensors.

Additional Research or Workshops

The Christmas tree model made by Gemini.

We tried to use projection mapping on the paper model.

A sketch of our first idea made by Gemini.

Project 2

Project 3 Final Prototype

This installation translates the abstract data of occupancy into an interaction between physical space and two-dimensional imagery. We employ vivid animation as our visual language to emphasize that even simple images can convey the state of a real space when clearly linked to on-site physical actions. In the physical world, each increase in the number of people inside the room leaves a trace in the animation, allowing users to see how they participate in the process of “making the meteor shower fall”. This work explores how visual art can become an immediate, gentle response to the real world when the two-dimensional world connects with the physical world.

The Christmas tree will change based on the number of people detected in the room by sensors. The more people present, the clearer the tree appears; the fewer people, the more it transforms into a chaotic swirl of particles.