Kinect Proposal

The Idea I have for my final is to create some sort of interactive gameplay using max and the Kinect camera. The idea that I have for this is to use a created character brought from a Maya model to be used as a playable character on the Kinect interface. Using the rig that is place on the Maya character I would mimic it to the kinect using skeleton tracing to allow the rig and the skeleton to become one allowing the player to move the character with there own body. Once this is done I have the idea to allow the players to fight each other using the characters brought in by Maya. The perspective during the fight will vary as I have the idea to allow for a shifting camera. Along with the fighting aspect I want create a majority of games which will be created if time allows it. For Instance, I want to be able to create multiple games not just the fighting one which will all be on the same patch. The way they are selected is by having a player hover there hand over the desired option.

Midterm Paper Pitch: The Wonder of the Electric Guitar

For my mid term paper I wish to write about the Electric Guitar. What makes me want to write about this wondrous instrument is because I myself am a musician more specifically a guitarist. The thing is that I only played the guitar I never bothered to care what is the story, the movement, or the inspiration behind the guitar. It is not just noise it is a voice for the voiceless, it is what makes life tolerable (in my opinion). The guitar has a large history with many stories and I want to explore them.

What Technology Is To Me

Technology is a very complicated word to define and for me it’s even harder to understand but besides this fact pin pointing the reason why I am interested in the technology is hard. Technology in my definition is a tool society uses that simplifies and benefits life; this simple tool does necessarily have to work with electronics but it could actually be anything like a soda can that has been hollowed out to become a trash can, the possibilities for technology are endless.

Based off of this definition I got interested into technology, the thought of society using a tool that I created to benefit their lives to make their lives easier and worry free. See making the world more manageable and livable is a dream I have. Seeing people obtain joy from the use of my products I created is something that keeps me going but yet that is still a dream not and not a reality. With the second part of the definition I feel I can create a reality.

Technology never ends and something new will always come out that would be better than previous inventions and that’s where I can prosper because I can create. My dream is to create; I love creating people, places, etc. and with technologies advances I will be able to create. In games, people like to create characters based off of themselves' or who’d they like to be. If people create using my games or technology I created and have joy from it then I know that I benefited in making someone’s life pleasant in some form.

How My Computer Percieves Me

I got a feeling that my computer sees me as a monster with their eyes popping out glued to the computer argh so horrific

Integer Version Robot

Here is the Integer version I'm posting this because I was finally able to do it but I could only go this far and also because it is not saving properly so out of fear of it being erased I'm posting what I got so far

int x = 60; //x-coordinate

int y = 420; // y-coordinate

int bodyHeight = 120; //bodyheight

int neckHeight = 100; //neckheight/Antennae

int radius = 10; //head

int ny = y - bodyHeight - neckHeight - radius; //Antennae

size (720, 480);

smooth ();

strokeWeight (2);

background (204);

ellipseMode (RADIUS);

//Head

stroke(102);

fill(102);

ellipse(x+190, ny-90, radius, radius); //ball

line(x+200, ny+10, x+190, ny-90); //Antennae

ellipse(x+175, ny+25, radius+5, radius+5); //left ear

ellipse(x+233, ny+25, radius+5, radius+5); //right ear

stroke(0);

fill(0);

ellipse(x+204, ny+59, radius+45, radius+45); //head

fill(255);

ellipse(x+220, ny+45, radius+6, radius+22); //right eye

fill(255);

ellipse(x+185, ny+45, radius+6, radius+22); //left eye

fill(0);

ellipse(x+228, ny+45, radius-7, radius); //pupil

ellipse(x+177, ny+45, radius-7, radius); //pupil

//Body

noStroke();

fill(102);

ellipse(x+204, y-50, radius+35, radius+35); //end orb

fill(0);

rect(x+159, y-bodyHeight-43, bodyHeight-30, bodyHeight); //main body

fill(102);

rect(x+168, y-bodyHeight-26, bodyHeight-50, bodyHeight-70); //inside panel

rect(x+159, y-bodyHeight+50, bodyHeight-30, bodyHeight-114); //gray stripe

Upgrade Arduino Vintage Radio

This is my new and improved Arduino project.

Using Plexiglass and a laser cutter. I was able to create a great design for this project making that whole vintage radio type look.

I exposed the wires to make it seem robotic.

Also to make sure i didn't mess up cutting the plexiglass i practiced on cardboard.

Once i saw that everything was perfect I spray painted the front and back black and the center pieces red to give it a dark type mood.

The radio is powered by

the Arduino and it actually works like a radio it is powered on by the button and the dial changes the song three times.

Here is my Patch and Presentation

In total all I payed for this project was around $12 since all I needed was already in the Arduino so all I had to pay for was the Plexiglass.

Arduino Music Machine

Here is my Music Machine so far. Using cut pieces of cardboard and then taping them together and spray painting them lime green then black I was able to create a vintage looking radio.

The radio is powered by the arduino board that will eventually be able to play a song by pressing the button and changing the song by turning the dial.