PLUGIN//PROJECT

Plugin ProjectLucas Odahara Monteiro

/* Design graduation thesis - 2011Orientator: Prof. Dr. Cláudio Roberto y Goya

Unesp - BauruFaculty of Architecture, Arts and Communication */

Covered by the complex urban net of the contemporary, I start to give

attention to the small willsof my nature.

Like the will of sending theintention of a touch.

ArduinoPROCESSING

NIKON D5000ADOBE CS4

MACBOOK

cyberspaceCONEctions

SENSitiveDIGITAL

DEVICE ARTPOTency

INTERActionwindows

C 74

M 67

Y 66

K 85

C 38

M 31

Y 31

K 00

C 59

M 51

Y 51

K 19

technologytoolsupport

ARTDESIGNSUBJEctive

COMmunicationLanguageMedia

//typography

Andale MonoBaskervilleBebas Neue

summary

abstract08 introduction10the device14step by step18photography24conclusion61bibliography63opensource66ANnEX68

ABSTRACT

09//abstract

this present work has as its goal the materiali-zation of intentions, the creation of a way of in-teraction based on the will of connecting with each other. A device that communicates nothing more than the intention of a touch._

Walking trough places in Design, Communication and Art, having as it’s crib the subjective and the hardness of the binary code as tool for self expression, one of the project’s goals is the creation of a media tool that am-plifies our capabilities of connections among each other. Exploring mainly the human senses and the data transfer through the cyber space, the Plugin Project translates it-self as an interactive art device that seeks to discuss con-cepts of communication, technology and territoriality.

INTRODUction

11//introduction

“In informatics, a plugin (also known as plug-in, add-in, add-on) is a computer program used to add specific functions to other bigger programs, providing either some special functionality or a very specific one. Usually small and light, it’s just used on demand.” (definition from Google)_

For those who are living nowadays, defining limits among knowledge areas is getting more and more difficult and useless too. We’ve already been through a huge era ruled by specifications, classifications and dominations. An era of “isms” that programmed us to think in a way which, even in face of astronomical mutations defining the contemporary perception, we’re still tempted to cate-gorize. Valuing the rigid in the middle of a fluid sea, as naive realists defined by Heim (1999) do. Perhaps the question is not thinking about these differences, but instead about elements they have in common. Finding out how huge is the common area among Design, Art and Communica-tion and how many potentialities have these areas so that we are allowed to explore the possibilities which belong to these hybrid worlds, ignored until now in favor of the need of clarification through the process of categorization during the 20th century.

“Allied to telecommunication, informatics allows […] data to cross

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oceans, continents, hemispheres connecting potentially every human being in wide, common net of transmission and access which is being called cyberspace” (SANTAELLA, 2003)

Cyberspace described by Santaella permits the crea-tion of new languages all the time, especially in arts and design. Languages working with concepts born in the con-temporary in addition to the unbridled progress of the digital era. Every second on, already existing medias and every kind of information they ever carried, are transfor-med into data and go integrate a non-space of universal binary language which can be reached all over the world through “the media of all medias”: the computer (SAN-TAELLA, 2003). The appearance of digital art is so the result of exploration by artists, who use technology as a tool of expression. And, especially regarding the new ge-neration of digital artists and designers born at the end of the ‘80s/beginning of the ‘90s, technology is not just an important tool: sometimes it appears as the only way of expressing the perceptive interface which belongs to those young creators. A perception that has been educated and it’s fully into the cyberspace. Our perceptions are being shaped by all the kinds of media we deal with, as Santaella writes about Holtzman’s concepts:

“Nowadays […] non-linearity permeates every aspect of our culture. And to the extend that discontinuous new medias penetrate our lives, they change not only our ways of thinking, but also our perception of reality.”

It’s by using these concepts and tools, provided by the

13//introduction

digital era, that this project based its intentions on. With the help of the internet was possible to understand even clearer the way how the world is connected. Experiments such as John Bell’s about electrons with opposite spins seem to be much simpler to understand if we think about data transfer among distant computers. And it’s by the connection of the non-territoriality of information, the communication, the human tactile sensibility, the myste-rious magnificence of material and virtual connections and the sincerity of human relationships that this project built its essence, shape and sensibility on.

Finally, as the definition by Google, the Plugin Project aims to be a small project, simple, which added functions to a bigger system, part of a whole and at the same time complete by itself, representing my way to perceive the world.

the device

15

The Plugin Project becomes real in the shape of an experimental device of interactive digital art._ The project is the development of a digital interface that, through a touch, transport the intentions of human relationships in the cyberspace. As Santaella writes regar-ding Heim’s concepts about interface:

“The term ‘interface’ […] is referred to human connection with machines and even the human input in a cyberspace that is self-containing. On one hand, interface indicates computer devices and monitor screens; on the other, shows human activity connected to data through the screen.”

The device, based also on Device Art concepts, deve-lops an interface which transforms data into the intentions of someone relating to someone else. Transporting this data via the Internet to the person who the user is connec-ted with and establish a common area into the cyberspace which represents these intentions of both users.

Technically, the installation consists of two sensory plaques reacting to human touch, capturing and transmit-ting data one to another, while simultaneously connected to the Internet. Every plaque is made by 96 RGB LED and 96 sen-sors, organized into 6 lines of 16 LEDs each (photo 24). The electric wiring and programming was developed by Heitor Fernandes, an electrical engineering student at

//the device

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16 16

Unicamp (University of Campinas, SP, Brazil), who de-veloped the touch sensor, consisting of: one ceramic disc capacitor 1 Kpf nr.104 of 50V, two transistors BC 548, one 1.2 MΩ resistor and one 220Ω resistor (photo 06-09). The communication among the sensors and the LEDs from a plaque to another is realized through the Internet and is mediated by the micro-controlling plaque ‘Arduino’ (photo 01). Besides sensors and LEDs, on each plaque have been placed 24 shift registers, 12 for data re-ading and 12 for data writing. Which is, every group of 8 LEDs and sensors is connected to a shift register, that is consequently connected to the ‘Arduino’. What do they do is being in the middle of the communication among sensors/LEDs and the ‘Arduino’. This was necessary in order to supply to the few ports the ‘Arduino’ has.Summarizing:

1. every plaque reads, through the sensors, any manifesta-tion of human interaction by touching it;

2. the interaction is transformed into data and sent to the ‘Arduino” device;

3. the ‘Arduino’ sends the data to the software ‘Processing’ in the connected computer;

4. ‘Processing’ sends this data via Internet to another com-puter, linked via ‘Processing’ too;

5. ‘Processing’ in the second computer sends the data to the ‘Arduino’ connected to it;

17//the device

6. ‘Arduino’ receives the data and sends it to the LEDs connected to its ports;

7. LEDs corresponding to the sensors touched at point 1. are turned on.

This is the data basic-path inside the Plugin Project system. It’s a process happening at any time through 192 LEDs, and from one computer to the other.Besides this, LEDs turns on simultaneously on the plaque they are touched and on the one connected via Internet. One of the plaques’ light is blue and the other one is gre-en: this was possible by using RBG LED. The final product consists of 96 cells in every pla-que, which host inside the LEDs and all the components composing the sensor. The cells are divided into groups of 16, sharing the same part of printed circuit on the board. Every cell has an area of 2 cm2 and stays half cm far from the next one. Each row of 16 has a distance of half cm from the next too, leaving all the cells with a perime-ter of half cm of distance from the others. Every row is wire-connected till the ‘Arduino’ device on the base of the board (photo 25). So on, the board is entirely covered by Palm silicone. The material was chosen in order to fix all the components into their specific place, adding flexibility to the product and allowing it to be easily stored, outshi-ning the light from the LEDs and in order to allow the surface itself to “invite” you to touch it.

step by step

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The project is born on July 2010 and has been de-veloped during the following 11 months._

It’s hard to say exactly how and on which circumstan-ces everything started and it’s mainly for this reason that was created a web-site, in which ideas and thoughts were mapped during all over the process, at the exact moment it was starting to become concrete. Then passing through a period characterized by the starting-ideas of Plugin Project, began the process of ma-terializing the idea, of going on with the potentialities of the project. And it’s going to be this physical execution of the project that is going to be reported in this chapter. It’s necessary to clarify that the whole idea-plan has never been separated from the execution-plan; totally the oppo-site. During those 11 months of working was clear step after step that the physical execution of the project was interfering with my personal perception and subjective is-sues, closely linked to the conceptual plan of the project. The same way, the execution stages of the devices have been often changed, due to the constant mutation of per-sonal concepts and porous ideas.Therefore, concerning the last 11 months of the project, i haven’t been able to define precise moments regarding the so-called “starting conceptual project” and “execution”. It appears very clear to me how the whole has been a long process, where the start of subjective parts depended from the physical and the physical from the subjective. In this chapter, what i try to do with my report is to

//step by step

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present every stage of the process regarding the physical part of the project, without specifying interdependent re-lations to the conceptual plan.

1. It was developed a model consisting of two wooden boxes, carrying inside two colored bulbs and a touch-de-vice. The boxes had a matte acrylic cover which, through foams on the base of the box, moved slightly in vertical di-rection, according to the pressure given by the hand touch on them. This pressure and the cover’s movement let two copper plaques to lean against the inner part of the box, closing the electrical circuit and allowing the lights to turn on, so inside the touched box and inside the second one, wire-connected to the first one. The registered behavior was identical and the opposite. This was the first model exemplifying the idea of connected touch-surfaces: as it was the first test, the whole was plugged in to electricity.

21//step by step

2. A series of tests were conducted in order to develop the interaction sensor between user and computer. At the end, it was created the touch-sensor formula interacting with the LED: the “cell” of every device.

3. Using softwares, such as ‘Arduino’ and ‘Processing’, it was developed the program able to transfer data between the device and the computer (Arduino) and the communi-cation of this data between the two computer via Internet (Processing).

4. Printed circuits devices were cut using a band saw, di-mension 50x2 cm.

5. It was developed the drawing of the device circuit using ‘Proteus’ - ISIS/AREAS.

first model

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6. The drawing printed on transparency was transferred to the boards through thermic process, using a heat source on the transparency on the top of the copper part of the board, transferring so the ink onto the surface.

7. The ink on the boards was defined better with a pen.

8. The boards were dipped into a solution of perchlorate, in order to corrode the copper which was not in contact with the ink, preserving the copper traces on the board hosting and carrying the electricity among the compo-nents.

9. 5.088 holes of 1mm diameter each were made on the boards using a 12V drill, in order to place the components into their specific places on the printed tracks.

10. Every component has been welded on the boards using soldering iron and tin.

11. Every wire was welded on the back of the boards that connect the cells to the shift registers and also the wires allowing the communication of the cells from one row to another one.

12. It was developed a test model to add the silicone.

13. A little model of the board was created in order to dip them into ‘Palm’ silicone.

14. It was carried out a series of tests to improving the

23//step by step

programs responsible for the connection of the boards one to another and with the computer.

15. The boards have been dipped into the silicone.

This is the basic explanation of the process. Believing in the ‘OpenSource’ philosophy, essential to the execution of the project, I provide assistance in case someone would like to work on my same path and understand step-by-step how everything was realized. The codes used in the im-plementation of the project are on disposal in the ‘Annex-area’ in the end of the report.

phoTOGRAphy

Arduino used on the connection board-computer//photo.01

envelope in which the Arduinos were sent//photo.02

communication teste between Arduinos//photo.03

touch sensor//photo.04

test of the ‘cell’//photo.05

capacitors//photo.06

resistors//photo.07

transistors//photo.08

Leds RGB//photo.09

copper board and circuits//photo.10

first atempt of cutting the boards//photo.11

last test of the ‘cells’//photo.12

last test of the ‘cells’(2)//photo.13

cutted boards and with printed circuits//photo.14

after the circuits prints//photo.15

circuits on the transparent sheet//photo.16

final touches on the circuits//photo.17

corroding copper boards//photo.18

corroding copper boards(2)//photo.19

corroding copper boards(3)//photo.20

corroded boards//photo.21

making the holes on the boards//photo.22

holed boards//photo.23

board with the components welded//photo.24

project of the individual wiring//photo.25

wiring between the shift registers and the cells.//photo.26

welding the wires//photo.27

detail wiring//photo.28

test communication board-computer//photo.29

test sylicone application//photo.30

test sylicone application(2)//photo.31

detail row of ‘cells’//photo.32

completed wiring//photo.33

completed wiring (2)//photo.34

detail ‘cell’ on//photo.35

interaction with the board before the sylicone//photo.36

CONCLUSion

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the plugin project is an actualization of everything that made part of my perception on the last years. Valuing the sensitive, the act of creating and designing disconnected from hard and intransigent concepts. Believing in a design that is nothing more than a way of connecting myself to the world, designing sensations, lan-guages and turning into possible new ways of in-teraction, it was created an internet communica-tion device that, as a toy, has as its goal to invite its use, the imagination of its user and give a new meaning to the moment in which is used.

i believe that the plugin has been just a capture of an image in process. a mutant image, reconfi-gurable, that takes shapes from the formation of my perception channels. and i hope that the project also can take mutant shapes. that crea-tes, reconfigures and grows from its own bases.

BIBLIOGRAphy

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CAPRA, Fritjof. 1982. O Ponto de Mutação. São Paulo. Editora Cultrix

SANTAELLA, Lucia. 2008. Estéticas Tecnológicas - No-vos modos de sentir. São Paulo. Editora PUC-SP

FREYER, Conny. NOEL, Sebastian. Rucki, Eva. 2008. Digital by Design. Londres. Editora Thames & Hudson.

SANTAELLA, Lucia. 2007. Linguagens líquidas na era da mobilidade. Sao Paulo. Editora Paulus

CALVINO, Italo. As Cidades Invisíveis. (Tradução: Dio-go Mainardi). 1998. São Paulo. Companhia das Letras.

MUNARI, Bruno. Artista e Designer. 2008. Bari. Editori Laterza

SANTAELLA, Lucia. Culturas e artes do pós-humano. 2003. Sao Paulo. Editora Paulus.

ARRIVABENE, Rafael. 2009. Design - Projeto Mutante

FLUSSER, Vilém. 2007. O Mundo Codificado - Por uma filosofia do Design e da Comunicação. Lisboa. Relógio d’água.

CAPRA, Fritjof. A Teia da Vida. 2000. São Paulo. Editora Cultrix

65//bibliography

Ice Cream Contemporary Art in Culture, PHAIDON. 2007. London. Phaidon press.

OPENSOURCE

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www.pluginproject.tumblr.com

www.Arduino.cc

http://processing.org/

http://www.Arduino.com.br/

http://hacknmod.com/

http://osomdopensamento.wordpress.com/

http://lusorobotica.com/

http://andybest.net/

http://hackzilian.com/

http://411led.wordpress.com/

http://cienciadaabelha.wordpress.com/

//opensource

ANnex

69

PROGRAM ARDUINO used on the communication board-arduino/ar-duino-board, to send the information from the sensors to the computer and from the computer to the leds._

/* Descrição dos pinos dos CI’s utilizados:

74LS166 (PARALLEL IN - SERIAL OUT) SENSOR - FIO VERMELHO 16 VCC 8 GND 15 SH/LD’ AMARELO 6 CLKINH (must be low) 7 CLK (low-to-high) AZUL ESCURO 9 CLEAR’ VERMELHO 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 D 10 E 11 F 12 G 14 H 1 SERIAL INPUT 13 SERIAL OUTPUT 74HC595 (SERIAL IN - PARALLEL OUT) ESCRITOR - FIO AZUL 16 VCC 8 GND 10 SCLEAR’ MARROM

//annex

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11 SCK PRETO 12 RCK BRANCO 13 G’ (must be low) 14 SI (Serial In) AZUL CLARO 9 Qh’(Serial Out) 15 QA 1 QB 2 QC 3 QD 4 QE 5 QF 6 QG 7 QH*/

// Definição de constantes

#UM WR123

// escritor:#define W_CLEAR 2 //MARROM#define W_SCK 3 //PRETO#define W_RCK 4 //BRANCO#define W_S_OUT 5 //AZUL CLARO

// sensor: B A#define S_CLEAR 7 //VERMELHO | AMARELO#define S_P_LOAD 8 //AMARELO |LARANJA#define S_CLK 9 //AZUL ESCURO | VERDE#define S_S_IN 10 //LARANJA | VERMELHO

//Definição de variáveisint um = 1;int aux = 0;int s_in = 2;int i=0, j=0;int in[] = {0,0,0,0,0,0};int inbyte[] = {0,0,0,0,0,0};

71//annex

for(i=0;i<6;i++) in[i]=0;

void setup() { int comm=0; Serial.begin(9600); //set pinos pinMode(S_P_LOAD, OUTPUT); pinMode(S_CLEAR, OUTPUT); pinMode(S_CLK, OUTPUT); pinMode(S_S_IN, INPUT); pinMode(W_CLEAR, OUTPUT); pinMode(W_SCK, OUTPUT); pinMode(W_RCK, OUTPUT); pinMode(W_S_OUT, OUTPUT); //setup inicial: digitalWrite(S_CLEAR, LOW); digitalWrite(S_CLEAR, HIGH); digitalWrite(S_P_LOAD, HIGH); digitalWrite(S_CLK, LOW); digitalWrite(W_CLEAR, LOW); digitalWrite(W_CLEAR, HIGH); digitalWrite(W_SCK, LOW); digitalWrite(W_RCK, LOW); //sincronia da comunicação serial while(comm!=’B’){ Serial.print(‘A’); comm = Serial.read(); }}

void loop() { /*LOAD (Leitura dos leds):*/ digitalWrite(S_P_LOAD, LOW); digitalWrite(S_CLK, HIGH); delay(5);

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digitalWrite(S_CLK, LOW); digitalWrite(S_P_LOAD, HIGH); //lê as 6 fileiras for(i=0;i<6;i++){ //de 16 sensores for(j=0;j<16;j++){ aux = digitalRead(S_S_IN); //lê sensor in[i] = in[i] | aux; //bit lido é o + a direita if(j<15) in[i] = in[i] << 1; //desloca bits p/ esquerda digitalWrite(S_CLK, HIGH); digitalWrite(S_CLK, LOW); } delay(100); Serial.print(in[i]); //envia p/ computador } /*OUT (Escrita nos led)*/ aux=0; //recebe os valores dos sensores for(i=0;i<6;i++) inbyte[i] = Serial.read(); //para cada das 6 fileiras for(i=6;i<0;i--){ //de 16 LEDs for(j=0;j<16;j++){ aux = inbyte[i] & um; //pega bit + a direita inbyte[i] >> 1; //descola bits p/ direita digitalWrite(W_S_OUT, aux); //envia p/ placa digitalWrite(W_SCK, HIGH); digitalWrite(W_SCK, LOW); } digitalWrite(W_RCK, HIGH); digitalWrite(W_RCK, LOW); }}

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PROGRAM processingsends the information taken from the arduino from one computer to another via internet. _

import processing.net.*;

Server myServer;Client thisClient;int val = 0;int dataIn=0;int led=0;int cl=0;int sinc=0;int i=0;int in[]={0,0,0,0,0,0};int datain=0;Serial myPort;

void setup() { size(200, 200); // Starts a myServer on port 5204 myServer = new Server(this, 5204); println(Serial.list()); myPort = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[1], 9600); println(“Iniciada COM8”); while(sinc != ‘A’) sinc = myPort.read(); myPort.write(‘B’); print(“Conectado”); myPort.clear();}

void draw(){ //Envio de dados

//annex

// Plugin Project

74//anexos

//para cada fileira for(i=0;i<6;i++){ while(myPort.available()==0); in[i] = myPort.read(); //le os bits myServer.write(in[i]); //envia }

//Recebimento de dados //para cada fileira while(thisClient==0); //recebe bit e os envia para a placa for(i=0;i<6;i++) myPort.write(thisClient.read());}

void serverEvent(Server someServer, Client some-Client) { println(“We have a new client: “ + someClient.ip()); thisClient = someClient;