Homesense kit manual

HOMENSENSERESEARCH BOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS04 My Home Part I 38 My Home Part II08 Other People’s Homes Part I 44 The Kit20 Interacting with the ResearchKit 82 More Examples26 Other People’s Homes Part II 92 Project Calendar

Welcome to Homesense, and welcome to your ResearchBook!We’re really delighted that you’re taking part in this project withus.In this book there are questions to help you think about theway that you live in your home. We’ll tell you about what all thebits and pieces in the ResearchKit are, what they do, and howthey work together. We’ve also picked some lovely examples ofthings that other people have made for their own homes, andwe’ll show you how you could make your versions of them too.Finally, we’ll take everything that we’ve shown you and bring ittogether to help you create your own DIY smart home, and livewith the technologies that you’ve developed.We’ve had a lot of help in getting Homesense from a spark ofan idea to the ResearchKit, the ResearchBook in your hands,and every other part of the project. Homesense has been spon-sored by the good people at EDF R&D. We’ve also had invalu-able help from the folks at ‘HighWire’, Lancaster University, inhelping us to design your ResearchKit.Have fun, and happy making!The team from Tinker LondonOctober 2010 2

MY HOME I Making sense of my homeWhen it comes to living in your house, you are theexpert. You are the only one who really knows whatyour home life is like, and it’s you who (for better orworse) will have to live with the projects that get builtover the next three months.Below are some questions that might help spark ideas.They aren’t technical questions, but rather questionsabout your home and how you live in it. In a later chap-ter, we will revisit these questions and look at how toturn your ideas into projects — but not yet. 4

1. Three things I like to do when I am home are:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Three things I don’t like to do when I am home are:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Three things (people, events, etc.) that I like to know about when I amhome are:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. What is my favourite object in my home, and why?:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5

5. What is my least favourite object in my home, and why?:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. These are three problems in my home that I’d like to solve:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7. These are three parts of my home life that I enjoy, and that I’d like tomake even better:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8. This is an idea I have that doesn’t fit into any of those categories:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6

OTHERPEOPLE’S HOMES I Some Examples 8

AMBIENT ORBMood lighting with intelligence. An ambient orb is a lightthat changes color in response to some kind of information,providing a gentle alert system. Nick O’Leary’s DIY version(pictured) tracks energy usage. A commercial version tracksthe stock market.What kind of information might you want to keep track of?What ways to display it might be more or less interesting,more or less intrusive?http://knolleary.net/tag/ambient-orb/http://www.ambientdevices.com/cat/orb/orborder.html 10

WEATHER CLOCKOld aesthetics meets new technology. Sean Carney’s weath-er clock connects to the internet, downloads the weathercondition and temperature, and displays this information withthe hands of an antique clock face. Like the ambient orb, itprovides information in the background, but it has a differentvisual impact.What do you find visually interesting or attractive? How mightyou make a hacked gadget fit your home’s existing decor?http://www.seancarney.ca/projects/weather-clock/ 12

BAKER TWEETTell the world. Bakertweet allows busy bakers to alert custom-ers when bread is fresh out of the oven. Turn a dial to selectyour baked good, press a button, and the message is sent.Are there times when you want to send a message but can’tor don’t want to use a computer or phone? Who do you needto reach, and what’s the best way to reach them?http://www.bakertweet.com/ 14

AUTOMATIC CAT FEEDER Practical problem, meet practical solution. Mathew J. Newton wanted a way to feed his cats during short trips away from home, without bothering the neighbors, overfeeding the cats, or having the cats starve if something went wrong. So he built an internet-connected automatic cat feeder. How might you combine electronics and physical structures to perform specific tasks (like feeding two cats a set amount of food)? Sometimes things break — how might you plan for or respond to the possibility of breakdown? http://www.newtonnet.co.uk/catfeeder/ 16

MEASURING ELECTRICITY THE EASY WAY So you want to know how much energy you’re using. Should you spend money on a commercial power meter? Joozt took a simpler approach -- he noticed that his electricity meter has a light that flashes every time a set amount of electricity is used. By tracking every time the light flashes, he was able to easily record his electricity usage over time. What specific activities relate to your energy usage, and which of those do you want to measure or influence? When designing a project, what can you notice that will make things easier and simpler? http://pwrusage.codeplex.com/ 18

INTERACTINGWITH THE KIT An overview of the ResearchKit 20

By now you hopefully have a few ideas of what you’d liketo create to make your home life more convenient, moreconnected, or more fun. The next question is: how do youmake it?This is where the Homesense kit comes in. This toolkit,based on the Tinkerkit for Arduino, is a collection ofelectronics modules that can be joined together to createinteractive behaviors. All of the modules are connectedwith cables included in your kit, so that you can easily add,remove, and swap different pieces.Your creations will be built from a combination of yourideas, the kit, help (and programming) from your local ex-pert, and some arts&crafts ingenuity. 22

HOW DO I GET STARTED?In general, you can break an interactive project down into three main steps:Step 1: Learn something about the worldStep 2: Make a decision based on what you learnedStep 3: Take an action based on your decisionSo to start, you will have three questions to ask:What do you need to learn, and how will you learn it?How will you decide what to do based on that information? andWhat will happen as a result?The items in the ResearchKit are broken into three main categories: Sensing,Making Decisions, and Acting. You will use the Sensing modules to answer thefirst question, the Making Decision modules to answer the second question,and the Acting modules to answer the third.Sensing modules detect something about the physical world — light,temperature, position, etc. This information gets sent to a Making Decisionsmodule, which uses code to interpret that information and decide what actionsto take. That module then sends information to one or more Acting modules,which turn the decision into physical action — turning on or off a light, makinga noise, moving something, etc. Depending on what you build, you may alsouse your computer for any or all of these steps. You might, for example, receiveinformation from the internet, or use a program on your computer to make adecision, or take an action by sending a message to the internet. You can lookat Section VII for a detailed description of each item in the ResearchKit. For now,let’s look at some practical examples of how you might use the kitto bring an idea to life. 24

OTHERPEOPLE’S HOMES II Making it happen 26

AMBIENT ORBThe hardest part of building an ambient orb is deciding what you want tomeasure. To start off simple, the orb in this example will display the current tem-perature using a light that fades from green to red.Sensing:What do I want to sense?What is the temperature?What do I use to sense that?The temperature sensor from the ResearchKit.Deciding:What decisions do I need to make?If the temperature is lower, make a green light brighter and a red light dimmer.If the temperature is higher, make a red light brighter and a green light dimmer.What do I use to make these decisions?The Arduino and the connector hub.Acting:What actions do I want to take?Make a green and a red light brighter and dimmer.What do I use to make those actions occur?A red and a green LED light module from the ResearchKit.Some other things to think about, get, or build:A lamp to hold and diffuse the lights. A box or other enclosure for the Arduinoand/or temperature sensor. The exact location of the temperature sensor andwhat might affect the temperature in its immediate vicinity. 28

WEATHER CLOCKThis clock displays the weather condition (rainy, cloudy, sunny, etc.) and localtemperature using the hands of a clock and a clock face decorated with weatherindicators.Sensing:What do I want to sense?The weather condition and temperatureWhat do I use to sense that?Download weather forecasts from the internet. (Are there other ways to getsimilar information using sensors, rather than the internet?)Deciding:What decisions do I need to make?If it is rainy, turn a dial to point to the ‘rainy’ picture; if it is cloudy, turn a dial topoint at the ‘cloudy’ picture; and so on.If the temperature is 23, turn a second dial to point at ‘23’ and so on.What do I use to make these decisions?The Arduino and connector hub.Acting:What actions do I want to take?Control two dials on a clock.What do I use to make those actions occur?Two position motors (servo motors) in the ResearchKit.Some other things to think about, get, or build:The external casing of a large clock, a clock face with the necessary pictures, andclock hands to connect to the position motors. 30

BAKER TWEETSend a message to Twitter with the turn of a dial.Sensing:What do I want to sense?Which message has been selected, and when it should be sentWhat do I use to sense that?A knob as a selector for a person to choose a specific message.A button that a person can press to send that message.Deciding:What decisions do I need to make?When the knob is rotated to a certain position, select the message associatedwith that position, and display that message on a text screen.If someone presses the button, send the selected message to Twitter.What do I use to make these decisions?The Arduino and connector hub.Acting:What actions do I want to take?Display a message on a text screen. Send a message to Twitter.What do I use to make those actions occur?The text display screen in the Homesense kit. A computer with an internetconnection.Some other things to think about, get, or build:A box or other physical object to hold and stabilize the Arduino, knob, button,and text display. 32

AUTOMATIC CAT FEEDERThis is a simplified, non-internet-connected version of the cat feeder that feeds acat at regular intervals.Sensing:What do I want to sense?What time it is.What do I use to sense that?You computer. (A simpler solution, although it requires buying some moreelectronics, is an item called a Real Time Clock module. This is a small electronicdevice that just keeps track of the time.)Deciding:What decisions do I need to make?If it is time to feed the cats, dispense some cat food.What do I use to make these decisions?The Arduino and connector hub.Acting:What actions do I want to take?Dispense cat food.What do I use to make those actions occur?The position motors (servo motors) in your Homesense kit to control some sortof gate that can let cat food flow through it.Some other things to think about, get, or build:The hardest part of this project would be building the physical device forholding and dispensing the cat food. You might build something from scratch,or you might buy a container that you can modify for automatic dispensing.Look for the easiest solution! 34

EASY ELECTRICITYIf your electricity meter has a flashing LED, keep track of the flashing to monitoryour electricity usage.Sensing:What do I want to sense?Every time the LED on the electricity meter flashes.What do I use to sense that?The light sensor in your Homesense kit.Deciding:What decisions do I need to make?If the LED flashes, then I have used another unit of electricity. Store and/ordisplay this information.What do I use to make these decisions?The Arduino and connector hub.Acting:What actions do I want to take?What actions do you want to take? Do you want to display your electricity usageon a screen? Do you want to record it over time on your computer? Do you wantto make an ambient orb that alerts you about low and high usage?What do I use to make those actions occur?Depending on the actions you decide on, you might want the text displayscreen, some LED lights, and/or your computer.Some other things to think about, get, or build:You will need to physically build something to shield the light sensor fromexternal light, so that you don’t get false readings from other light sources. 36

MY HOME II Sensing my homeNow it’s your turn. Look back at the questions from SectionIII, or think of ideas you already have.Pick three ideas that you like, and break them down intoSensing, Making Decisions, and Acting. Work with yourexpert to determine how to bring them to life.From these ideas, select one as your first project,and start building. 38

PROJECT 1:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------General Idea:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------39

What do I want to sense?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I use to sense that?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What decisions do I need to make?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I use to make these decisions?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What actions do I want to take?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I use to make those actions occur?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What else do I need to consider?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40

PROJECT 2:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------General Idea:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------41

What do I want to sense?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I use to sense that?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What decisions do I need to make?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I use to make these decisions?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What actions do I want to take?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do I use to make those actions occur?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What else do I need to consider?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42

THE KIT 44

DECIDING These modules form the core of how your project makes decisions. With the help of your expert, you will be able touse code loaded onto an Arduino and/or on your computer to control how and when things happen. 48

49 3 2 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ARE GND 1 1 1 1 Digital PWM PWM0 PWM1 ARDUINOTHE BRAIN

DescriptionIn a nutshell, the Arduino is the brains behind all the brawn. It’s what makes the “magic“and “witchcraft“ of all this electronics happen.When you build a project, you connect sensing modules and acting modules to theArduino through the connector hub. The Arduino uses code to make decisions aboutwhat to do, based on what it senses about its environment.ConnectionsThere are two rows of sockets running down two of the sides of the Arduino. Theconnector hub connects to the Arduino by plugging into these sockets, and you con-nect the different modules to the Arduino through the connector hub.The Arduino connects to your computer over a USB cable. When you load code onto theArduino from your computer, it is sent through the USB cable.The Arduino receives power either through a USB cable connected to your computer orthrough a power supply plugged into the wall. Depending on the project, you may wantto keep your Arduino connected to your computer, or you may want to take it away fromyour computer and plug it into the wall. 50

PHYSICAL KEYBOARD The physical keyboard is another kind of brain. It lets you a b use sensing modules as keys on a keyboard – each plug on 9 space c 78 10 the physical keyboard corresponds to a particular letter or escape d 6 11new line e character. 5 I2 down f When a sensing module detects a particular kind of input, 13 4 up g the physical keyboard sends that character directly to your 3 I4 right h computer through the USB cable. Specifically, the 15 2 left i physical keyboard sends a character when an input from a I6 1 sensing module changes from HIGH to LOW (the moment when you release a button, for example). It works best with “Yes or No” (digital) sensing modules. The physical keyboard is less flexible than the Arduino and connector hub, but it lets you send information to your computer without having to write any code.51

CONNECTOR HUB The connector hub makes it easier for you to connect the different Sensing and Acting modules to the Arduino. Your3 2 1 0 5 05 I5 ResearchKit comes with several cables. You can plug any 04 I47 6 5 4 0A single Sensing or Acting module into one end of a cable, 03 GND9 VA I3 and then plug the other end of the cable into the connector13 12 11 10 9 8 02 5V I2 RES hub. 01 I1 GND The connector hub contains 12 labeled connectors in two AREF 00 I0 rows: an INPUT row and an OUTPUT row. Sensing modules connect to the input row, and Acting modules connect to the output row. There are also two rows of black sockets along two edges of the connector hub. The text display module uses one of these sockets, but usually you can ignore them. 52

SENSINGYes or No?The sensing modules in this section all detect whethersomething does or does not happen. They give the Arduinoone of two values: HIGH (meaning yes) and LOW (meaningno). On each sensing module, a small LED light will light upwhen the module is sending HIGH and will turn off when themodule is sending LOW.All of these modules connect to the INPUT plugs on theconnector hub. In the Arduino code, they are treated asdigital inputs. 54

PUSH BUTTON On, off. Yes, no. High, low. That is pretty much it. It produces a HIGH value when pressed, a LOW value when not pressed.55

TOUCH SENSORThe touch sensor functions in almost the same way asthe push button, but it responds to being touched bybare skin rather than to being pressed. It produces aHIGH value when touched and a LOW value when nottouched.Please note that the touch sensor performs an autocalibration when it is turned on. If someone is touchingthe sensor when it is turned on, it will not work. To fix this,stop touching the sensor, and press the reset button(located on the connector hub between the two rows ofplugs) or unplug and replug the power supply/USB cable. 56

TOGGLE SWITCH In one position, the switch produces a HIGH value, and in the other position, it produces a LOW value. Think of this as like a traditional light switch.57

TILT SWITCH The tilt switch detects orientation. Basically, it can tell which way up it is. Inside the switch is a metal ball bearing. In one position, the ball bridges a gap between two wires and allows electrical contact to be made. InUP other positions, the ball is not touching the wires, so the switch is left open. To get the most sensitive response to a small change in angle, position the switch so the groove running down one side of the black box is facing down, and the arrow on the end is pointing up. Rock the module backwards and forwards to see what results you get. 58

SENSINGHow much?The sensing modules in this section all detect how muchof something is happening – instead of sending a simpleyes or no, they send a number that relates to the amountor intensity of what they are sensing.These modules send theArduino a number between 0 and 1023. What these numbersmean depends on the specific sensing module.On most of these sensing modules, a small LED light willshine with a brightness that relates to the number themodule is sending – it will be all the way off when thenumber is 0, and all the way on when the number is 1023.All of these modules connect to the INPUT plugs on theconnector hub. In the Arduino code, they are treated as ana-log inputs. 60

SLIDE SCALE The slide scale has a handle that slides left and right, similar to the slider used in some cars to control the heat. Depending on the handle’s position, the module will send a number between (almost) 0 and (almost) 1023.61

KNOBThe knob is a rotating controller, a bit like the dials youuse on a stereo to control the volume. As you rotate theblack handle, the module will send a number rangingfrom (almost) 0 to (almost) 1023. 62

LIGHT SENSOR This module detects how much light is shining on it. When it gets darker, the module sends a lower number, and when it gets brighter, the module sends a higher number. The light sensor will send numbers that are somewhere between 0 and 1023, but they will probably not go as low as 0 or as high as 1023. You will need to take readings in your light conditions to see how the numbers change from dark to bright. Keep in mind that those values may change if the ambient light level changes.63

TEMPERATURE SENSOR The temperature sensor detects the temperature of its immediate surroundings. It can detect the ambient air temperature. If you touch it, it will slowly warm up to your skin temperature. A higher number corresponds to a warmer temperature, and a lower number corresponds to a cooler temperature. 64

BEND SENSOR The bend sensor is a 4” long piece of flexible plastic that can sense how much it is being bent. When flat, it will send a higher number, and when curved, it will send a lower number. The bend sensor only detects being bent in one direction – if you bend it so that the row of gray boxes is on the outside of the curve, the numbers will change. In the other direction, nothing will happen. Like the light sensor, this module’s numbers do not cover the entire range between and 1023 –they will probably vary between 400 and 600. You will need to take readings from this sensor to figure out what numbers correspond to what degree of curvature. Please note that the bend sensor is fragile! If you yank on it or bend it too far from where it connects to the module, it will probably break at the connection point. If you fold it completely (like a piece of paper), it will snap. When you use this sensor, consider how to secure it so that that connection point is kept stable and so that it is not bent too far.65

MAGNET SENSORThis sensor uses a phenomenon called the Hall effect to detectnearby magnetic fields. If it detects no magnetic field, it sendsa number in the middle of the 0-1023 range – something like514. If it detects a nearby magnetic field, the number will goeither up or down depending on whether the field is positiveor negative. Unless you have an INCREDIBLY STRONG SUPERMAGNETIC FIELD, the range is quite close – a few centimeters.You can use this module with the magnet included in this kit.If you bring the magnet to within 1-2 centimeters of the sensor,the number will go up or down. Try flipping which side of themagnet is facing the magnet sensor to see how the numberschange. 66

MOTION SENSOR The motion sensor detects changes in movement (accelera- tion) along two directions (you could think of these as ‘across’ and ‘down’ on a sheet of paper attached to the sensor). Unlike the other sensor modules, this module has 2 plugs, one for each direction of movement. If it detects movement in one direction, it sends a lower number. If it detects movement in the other direction, it sends a higher number. The motion sensor always detects gravity – one thing it can be used for is determining which side is facing up, as the number will change depending on its position in relation to the pull of gravity. It also detects when it is moved or shaken. This sensor can be a bit difficult to understand or to use. We have given you a few examples you can use to get a sense of how moving this sensor affects the numbers it sends.67

ACTINGWhile sensing modules translate environmental and sensoryinformation about the world into signals that the Arduino canunderstand, the action modules take commands from theArduino and translate them into a variety of actions in thephysical world, such as light, sound, and movement.The action modules (with one exception) plug intothe OUTPUT row on the connector hub. 70

LIGHT These small lights are known as LEDs (light emitting diodes). You can control them digitally and turn them on or off. You can also control them as analog outputs by making them dimmer or brighter.71

BUZZERThe buzzer is a small piece of metal that moves when itreceives a change in electric current. It produces sound a bitlike a speaker. By turning an output pin on and off at differentspeeds, you can make the buzzer play different notes – andeven tunes. 72

POSITION CONTROL- A servo is a type of motor that rotates to a specific position according to the commands you send it. Servos allow us to turn, move and adjust things without actually touching them. You can see small servos in many toys, such as remote control cars and toy robots. These servos will rotate through about half a circle – they do not go all the way around. Unlike many other components in this kit, they are not as simple as an analog or digital output. Rather, you have to send commands in a certain way, and the servo then has its own logic to interpret those commands into its arm’s position.73

TEXT DISPLAYThis small screen can be used to show small amounts of stationaryor scrolling text. The display can show two rows of 16 characters –enough to display a few words, a short sentence, or a few numbers.This item differs from other items in your kit because it cannotsimply be plugged into any output plug. Instead, you need to plugit into one of the output plugs, but also plug the middle wire (whichhas been separated) into the socket labeled “1” from the row ofsockets next to the output pins.Like the servo motor, the LCD display is not simply a digital oranalog output. Rather, you have code that you can use to sendcommands to the display, and the display contains its own logicthat translates those commands into text. 74

CABLES AND POWER 76

CONNECTING WIRESYou have 30 wires in three lengths to connect the various modules to the connector hub.The connections are designed so that they only plug in one way.77

USB CABLEThe USB cable serves three purposes:1. It provides power to the Arduino (and everything you connect to the Arduino)2. It provides a way for you to send code from your computer to the Arduino3. It can provide a way for you to send and receive messages between your Arduino andthe computer while the Arduino is running. This might be useful if you want to get infor-mation from your Arduino and upload it to the internet, for example. 78

POWER SUPPLYOnce you have put code onto your Arduino, you can take it away from your computerand power it with the power supply. This can enable you to create devices that operatecompletely independently from your computer.The Arduino has a connector – next to the USB connector – for receiving power from anexternal supply.79

MOREEXAMPLES 82

BOTANICALLSWater please!When your plant begins to feel thirsty, Botanicalls offers aconnection to your plant via Twitter status updates to yourmobile phone. When your plant needs water, it will tweet to let you know, and will thank you after you water it!http://www.botanicalls.com/ 84

GOOD NIGHT LAMPBon Nuit, Goodnight, Buona Notte... Feel connected to lovedones who are far away.The Good Night Lamp project is a family of lamps which allowpeople to communicate the act of coming back home to dis-tant friends and family.Each set of lamps consists of one large lamp and several smalllamps, which you give to friends and family anywhere in theworld. When you turn the larger lamp on, your friends’ smalllamps also turn on, indicating that you’ve come home.Inversely, the smaller lamps that you’ve collected from yourfriendswill turn on/off as your friends come home, go out, go to bed.You’ll never come back to an empty home again.http://www.goodnightlamp.com/ 86

PLUSH IRRADIATED SIRLOINFaced with an assignment to make a plush night light,I thought, “Why light?” and brainstormed reasons for astuffed toy to light up. In a glowworm toy, for instance, thelight mimics nature. I’d been reading Michael Pollan’s TheOmnivore’s Dilemma, and this got me thinking about the chainof refrigeration, labor, and irradiation involved in American beefproduction.http://makeprojects.com/Project/Plush-Irradiated-Sir-loin/73/1 88

ELECTRONIC EMBROIDERYThis picture of a frog catching fireflies is embellished withlights that bring the bugs to life. Conductive thread is themagic ingredient, bridging the gap between rigid metaland soft floss. To make a stitched scene light up, combinetraditional embroidery techniques with a few commonelectronics components. The possibilities are endless, and theresult is an artful conversation piece.http://makeprojects.com/Project/Electronic-Embroi-dery/44/1 90

PROJECTCALENDAR 92

OCTOBER Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Frid Sat93

NOVEMBERSun Mon Tue Wed Thu Frid Sat 94

DECEMBER Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Frid Sat95

JANUARYSun Mon Tue Wed Thu Frid Sat 96

Homesense is a project from Tinker London, sponsored by EDF R&D with collaboration from HighWire

REFERENCEShttp://www.flickr.com/photos/allaboutchase/4167525301/http://knolleary.net/tag/ambient-orb/http://www.ambientdevices.com/cat/orb/orborder.htmlhttp://www.seancarney.ca/projects/weather-clock/http://www.bakertweet.com/http://www.newtonnet.co.uk/catfeeder/http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/4915969081/http://www.botanicalls.comhttp://www.goodnightlamp.com/http://makeprojects.com/Project/Plush-Irradiated-Sir-loin/73/1http://makeprojects.com/Project/Electronic-Embroi-dery/44/1http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinker_it/sets/72157613422034160/

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Homesense kit manual

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