Red Cross Blog

For my Art 106 class, me and some other students (Dan, Jen, John, Rick, Ali, David, Ismael, Shilpi) enter a Red Cross Contest. The Contest require us to make a suit/costume that would help the Red Cross in doing their work. We enter some ideas and they like us.

The first couple of week everyone did some sketches. We then compare our ideas and see which parts of the ideas were interesting.

Here was my sketches (I am not very good at drawing)

I had two ideas. The top one is adjustable octopus tentacles. Each tentacles would have some medical tools that would help someone. Examples are, flash lights, lighter, bandage, food, water, etc.

The bottom idea is a jacket with handy pockets inside. It would provide helpful tools. The outside of the jacket will have LED lights, as the cross. The cross will always light up. However, if it is close to some sort of object, or people, then it will blink.

After everyone shows their ideas to each other and compress it a bit more, we made a third idea that have more technical tools (because Steve ask us to).

Here is my third idea, with notes.

Couple of week after we got our proposal approve, we split into groups.

I group up with Ismael and Shilpi to work on the solar panel skirt and vest. I also help David with the video document.

After we split into groups, we talk about how we are going to get the material. I ask Shilpi to ask her work place. However, after that didn't work we decided to use plastic. We also thought about using glass, but we didn't think it be light enough and it could shatter.

We look at models at www.thatlookmodels.net to see which models we would like to work with. We wanted a model that is close to Shilpi size, because we could measure her if the model was not around.

We went to Tap Plastic to look for materials that we could use. We decided to try out some of the scrap plastic (that cost a dollar, but we got it for free :) ) and color them to see how it looks like. I spray painted mine, Shilpi painted her with Acrylic (I think), and Ismael painted it and then scratch it.

One weekend, I look for some fabric because I told them I had some (so we didn't have to buy it). However, the sample I brought to school wasn't the kind Ismael and Shilpi wanted so we decided to go check it out in some fabric store. I google up fabric store and found one near school, Fabrics R Us. It is on Berryessa Road, about 3-4 miles away. We wanted to find a store that is not like JoAnn or something that over price us. Fabrics R Us had all sorts of fabrics and it was cheap. We bought 3 fabrics: black one, red one, and one for the solar panel look.

I also capture some of the videos that David recorded, because it was on my camera.

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Here is a video which I work together with David.

One week I brought the plastic and start cutting them with my scissor. I did this because Ismael was busy and couldn't finish cutting them in the wood shop, so I decided to cut the rest.(me and Shilpi have no access to the wood shop) I also got Dan, John, and Shilpi to help cut because out hands would start to hurt after we cut the plastic (the plastic was really hard).

I went out to buy more fabric a couple of times because we needed more. One time I went on a weekend by myself and bought the black fabric and an elastic band. The black fabric that we brought last time ran out, so I got another one that was similar to it but not exact.

Another time, me and Ismael went back to Fabric R Us to buy a silver fabric and a thicker red fabric for the vest.

We meet up at Shilpi's house a couple of time. The first time Shilpi, Ismael and I meet up we work on the vest and the solar panels lookalike. I help Shilpi mount the plastic into the fabric. She wanted to mount them because we would be saving fabric. The sample I made (or the one I ask my mom) uses more fabric (cover the plastic in fabric and sew it together). I help Ismael a bit on the vest, like how it look, but he did most of it.

The other two days we meet at Shilpi's house Ricky was with us. We spent many hour (like 7 hours and more) each day. The first day we work on the skirt. I help fabric glue the plastic onto the skirt fabric. We spent a lot of time deciding where to place the fabric and play around with what to put on the skirt.

I also got my mom to make the skirt for us. :p

Anyway.....I am also helping Jen with her group video

I am planing to make at least 3 more video

1 for the vest/skirt group

1 for the cross

1 for everyone

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I help Ismeal shine the tube. We went to Tap Plastic again and bought a window plastic.

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So here is a brief of what I had done.

I found electronic parts for the skirt/vest and for the cross.

I found some old speaker for the cross, a spy/wireless camera for the vest, dvd player for the LCD screen that project what the camera pick-up....

I solder the wire together and help taping them together.

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During the event I took a couple of videos and took a few pictures...

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Here is the video I made for Fang Quai

Sound project (music)

So here is a video clip of my project.

Here is the code that I used.

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#include "pitches.h"

const int buttonPin = 4; // the number of the pushbutton pin

int potPin = 2; // select the input pin for the potentiometer

int ledPin = 13; // select the pin for the LED

int val = 0; // variable to store the value coming from the sensor

int ledPin2 = 8;

int buttonState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status

int melody[] = {

NOTE_B2,0, NOTE_B2,0, NOTE_E2,0, NOTE_E2, NOTE_E2,0, NOTE_F1,0, NOTE_F1,0, NOTE_B2,0,0};

// note durations: 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, etc.:

int noteDurations[] = {

8, 8, 8, 8,8,16,16,16,16, 8,8,8,8,8,8,4};

void setup() {

pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // declare the ledPin as an OUTPUT

// initialize the pushbutton pin as an input:

pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);

}

void loop() {

val = analogRead(potPin); // read the value from the sensor

digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // turn the ledPin on

delay(val); // stop the program for some time

digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // turn the ledPin off

delay(val); // stop the program for some time

for (int thisNote = 0; thisNote <>

// to calculate the note duration, take one second

// divided by the note type.

//e.g. quarter note = 1000 / 4, eighth note = 1000/8, etc.

int noteDuration = 1000/noteDurations[thisNote];

tone(9, melody[thisNote],noteDuration);

// to distinguish the notes, set a minimum time between them.

// the note's duration + 30% seems to work well:

int pauseBetweenNotes = noteDuration * 1.30;

delay(pauseBetweenNotes);

}

buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);

// check if the pushbutton is pressed.

// if it is, the buttonState is HIGH:

if (buttonState == HIGH) {

for(int fadeValue = 0 ; fadeValue <= 255; fadeValue +=5) {

// sets the value (range from 0 to 255):

analogWrite(ledPin2, fadeValue);

// wait for 30 milliseconds to see the dimming effect

delay(30); // stop the program for some time

} }

else {

// turn LED off:

for(int fadeValue = 255 ; fadeValue >= 0; fadeValue -=5) {

// sets the value (range from 0 to 255):

analogWrite(ledPin2, fadeValue);

// wait for 30 milliseconds to see the dimming effect

delay(30); // stop the program for some time

}}

}

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I did the best I could, but I still didn't get it working the way I wanted to. I am able to control the speaker: on and off. Fading the sound I don't know if it really work or not. Sometimes it sound that it faded but other times it doesn't. Another problem I faces was the buzzer. I can hear the buzzer buzz, but it is really low. It is adjustable with the potentiometer: beating faster and slower. However, you could barely hear it unless you are up close to it.