— Tommy Dykes | Design

My first shot of a bare conductive pen led to a card celebrating a camp site in Montrose where I spent happy times with my girlfriend.  As part of my PhD research I’m developing a workshop for older people, which encourages them to reflect on places that hold meaning to them.  It’s going to include a combination of craft and prototypes I’ve developed (i.e. this).  Hopefully these will get people chatting and sharing anecdotes and experiences around place. My plan is to have lot’s of maps at hand and perhaps a printer to get places on demand.  I’m keen to introduce them to electronics in craft and hopefully get them excited about the novelty of lighting an LED.  If all goes well I think it would be amazing to hold more workshops like this.

I’ve been working on a prototype that easily and cheaply locates a marker on a paper map.  The following video demonstrates a method of measuring distance with a pulley (basically a cheap string pot).  It makes use of a retracting key chain, a multi-turn pot that’s connected to the .NET gadgeteer and laser cut wheels.

I’m surprised how accurate it is even with a wonky wheel.  The end game is to have two of these on either corner of a map allowing the triangulation of a markers exact position on a map. More to follow. In the video each ruler is 30cm long.

Measuring Distance with .NET Gadgeteer and String from Tommy Dykes on Vimeo.

I’ve been working on a prototype that allows you to explore parts of a larger image.  It uses the .net gadgeteer and a mouse that’s connected via the USBHost.  When the mouse moves the oringal image is cropped to show a small section of a larger image.

The basic premise is that exploring and moving around a space, rather than just looking, results in a more immersive and meaningful experience.  While it’s fun for everyone, I’m currently exploring the possibility of a series of devices for care homes that could become curiosities and points of interest for residents, staff and visitors.  Artifacts such as this might allow older people to explore different places, either past or present.

The form is designed to tempt you to look inside.  When you do look inside an intimate space is created by excluding the outside world.  Only a small section of the space is projected inside, by moving the device around a flat surface you can explore different aspects of it.  From personal experience things are often seen that you had missed while looking at the entire image, the experience of moving around an old street is more poignant as you look and remember the details of a space.