#Arduino #Interactive Art
One Switch Wonder
Wearable Electric Jewelery
Learning Objectives
- Design and construct a simple circuit incorporating an Arduino, an LED, and a homemade switch.
- Understand and apply the basics of electrical circuits, including open and closed circuits, using a binary switch.
- Engage with the principles of physical computing by interfacing digital controls with tangible elements.
- Integrate the homemade switch into a creative context, such as a piece of interactive art, where the LED serves a functional and aesthetic purpose.
An Overview
To begin with...
The general design purpose
To create a wearable electric jewelry set using body and jewelry as an interface, this is an interactive jewelry design with LEDs. A LED is used in the complete circuit to mimic the lustre of sparkling stones in jewelry making by serving as an aesthetic purpose. By closing the earrings or fastening the necklace after placing the designed jewelry pieces, the circuit line will close, and the LED, representing the stone, will illuminate. By doing this, electric jewelry pieces will turn on and off depending on whether the user is wearing them.
How I approach my design
First of all, I am using the "blink" template from Arduino library to create a complete circuit with a blinking LED waiting for further adaptation, during which I changed the delay() in order to making the shining more visiable. Secondly, I create and recreate my daily jewlerys, making them conductive and enduring a feature of "open and close". Thirldy, I start adding the jewlery piece to the circuit. Last but not least, testing out and troubleshooting.
The "Design"/ The Output
I didvide the design into 2 parts: (1) a piece of earrings (2) an interactive weaved necklace
Design Process Documentation
The "Metal weaved" necklace
The Wearable LED Earrings
Reflections & Future Development
I really love this experience of developing the above interactive electric jewelry series, and I do want to explore more and produce more sets like this in the future more in details.
As a passionate jewelry enthusiast, I cannot imagine a day without adorning myself with these exquisite pieces. So, when it came to designing Arduino switches using everyday objects, the idea of interactive jewelry sets immediately came to my mind. These sets allow the user to become part of the interface and setting. I believe there is much scope for transforming and digitizing jewelry and accessories in the future, even in the meta-universe. This project could be my first step in exploring how virtual spaces can incorporate humane “decorations,” as LEDs are a common visual signal that blurs the lines between the physical and virtual worlds. I am excited to see how interactive jewelry will become a part of our daily lives in the future.
Although I enjoyed the general process of this project, I still have some regrets about this project. For instance, due to the limited materials, I was unable to make the circuit more hidden and invisible. As a result, the circuit has to be exposed to the air to ensure it is working properly.
Moreover, if possible, I would have liked to design the physical jewelry pieces myself, rather than adapting the earrings. This would have allowed me to make the earrings look better and combine more harmoniously with the LED features. Starting from scratch would have been preferable, as I could have ensured that the earrings were completely tailored to the LED features.