Pseudo Code

Function (when sensors hit)

Green.off

Red.on

-20 seconds -

do while < 10 seconds
if Amber.on { Amber.off}           //flashes
else { Amber.on} + 3seconds

Red.off

Green.on

- WAIT -

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The code above is what would be ran when the person activates the sensor, it would chance from a green light to a red light (in actual fact traffic lights would light up the amber light and then change from green and amber to red)...after a delay the red light would change to a red and flashing amber later becoming green again. This was done during a experiment at college where we had to work out the lighting system of traffic lights and time them etc. this was handy as at the time i was taking my driving test and needed the information to pass.

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Binary Colours:

(000011)

(001100)

(110000)

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The binary colours above could be used when colour coding or referencing the bulbs, the numbers do not stand for actual colours but instead the position of the LED we want to light up or turn from 0 to 1.

Any LED's can be used for this even a traffic light on the street could be programmed by this sensor and would probably look better too but the idea is still the same either way.

Idea#2 - traffic light

"I like traffic lights, that is what I said, I like traffic lights but not when they are red."

My idea is using a traffic light in a pedestrian walking zone like a alley. A movement sensor will beplaced so that if anybody walks past the sensor a signal is sent to the traffic light and turns it from green (its original state) to being red. The idea of this is to watch how people behave to the traffic light as they are not in a automobile but walking therefore, why should they stop?

This idea came from a interesting thing that happend on the royal parade, plymouth as a couple stopped at the traffic lights (walking UP the road not across) and began talking and checking inside there bag, from my point of view it looked as though they was waiting for the traffic lights to change so that they could walk, but the funniest part was that when they changed they began to walk again. Maybe they had no idea of the colour of the lights or maybe subconciously they did. This is the background behind my idea.

To do this I would obviously need a motion sensor and a traffic light, the arduino sensor mentioned before can create this procedure and has been made before however, not using a traffic light but another type of light emitting diode.

The sensor above is a small version of the traffic light, as something moves over the top of the sensor the light activates and will begin to glow, what I need to do is give the light a procedure (red, amber, green) and activate it when something moves over the sensor, however, one procedure can only run at one time so therefore I need to give it a state of either on, or off, I could use a boolean for this.

When somebody passes the sensor (which will be a few metres in front of the traffic light) the sensor activates the sequence from green to red:

Idea#1 - webcam interaction

My webcam idea uses feed's in order for the people to communicate with each other. I want to put two webcams in two different positions around stonehouse and have alternate feeds projected on each wall so that the person in one of the positions can see the person in the other and visa versa. This idea came from a sponsored "walkaphon" seen on stickam (which host's feeds) where 300 people interacted within this space on the website walking around and the user could watch them. This idea has the same fundamental idea's however instead of the camera moving around and there being a load of people interacting, i thought I would make it smaller so that only a few people who is walking past it can interact and the same on the other side. I think that when people walk past they will think it was a typical display that reflects its own image but instead it will be feeding from a different camera in a different position so when they go to look at themselves they will see the other person in their projection, this will confuse them because it is an abnormal display to see and be a part of so the reactions could be worth watching. Whether or not the person will realise that they are being watched from another place by the people on their screen I do not know because unless certain physical moves are carried out by the people the webcam is directed at, such as waving, then interaction will be minimal.

The two users communicate directly into the webcam and it is shown on the television, monitor or projector. This link between the webcam and the altenative monitor could be made via a website such as stickam dot come or something similar, it could be a direct communication should as usb via a wire which would be the easiest and most practical if the two points wasnt too far apart but via stickam or the internet this doesnt matter much.

Research

The hardware and software for these applications are easily accessible from the following website: Arduino Homepage.

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators.

The language to control the inputs and outputs of the device are the same basic functions of any programming software, this aids in implenting the project because it is something that I am familiar with as it is more or less common javascript.

Planning

My idea for this assignment uses the ideas that our 'teacher' has gave us by using different forms of technology such as a webcam or a motion sensor to make a interactive part of stonehouse.

During the lessons we have seen how toys can be taken apart and used differently, for example a dog that barks could  have its voice box taken out and attached onto something else, this is the same for any type of electrical equipment such as alarm sensors, alarm clock, almost anything with a  input or output device, these devies areextracted and used on other things.

For this project i have two ideas which i will explain in detail, we had been given a video presentation of how projectors can be used to create a sort of augmented reality on top of buildings in stonehouse, this gave a different image to the buildings hence the transformation, my idea's transform stonehouse and move it forward more into the future.