My idea for an interactive toy is to create an interactive climbing wall that lights up LEDs next to holds so that the user can create routes out of specific holds. I've seen walls like this before and they are very fun to train on! But I feel like I could improve on their functionality by adding different modes (other than simply lighting up one route at a time), like having LED's change on the fly, making a new route every time you climb on the wall, or having another person change the LEDs while another person is climbing. Also I want to use RGB LEDs so that when no one is using the wall, the array of LEDs can be used to make an awesome light show!
My roommates and I have been talking about building a climbing wall in our back yard for the entire semester, and we already have most of the hardware and climbing holds to do so, but we've yet to actually set aside time to build it. I think that making this project a part of this class will provide the motivation for me to start building it. I'm fairly confident I'll have help from my roommates in constructing the wall, but I will design and implement all of the electronics myself.
I plan to use addressable LEDs (WS2812's) to allow for easy control of the large number of LEDs necessary. I would aim for at least a 10 x 10 grid of LED controlled holds.
It will be essential that the user interface is simple and intuitive for controlling which holds light up, and for selecting different modes of interaction. To start, I could use a control pad of 5 buttons (one for each of the 4 directions, and a center button) mounted to the side of the wall so that a user can easily move the location of a lit up LED. This would provide an easy way to demonstrate the essential functionality of the wall, but there are plenty of ways to improve beyond this. I was looking at the SparkFun RGB and Gesture Sensor (APDS-9960) as a slick alternative control method. I could mount the sensor in the middle of the wall, allowing climbers to wave their hands in front of it to move a selected LED. If I have extra time after implementing these ideas, I would look into wifi-enabled microcontrollers like the Particle Photon and see if I could use a smartphone to interface with the wall. A user would be able to tap on a grid on their phone, and have the corresponding LED light up. I also want the wall to have the ability to remember the routes that were entered onto it even if its turned off, so that they can be recalled and displayed later. This may involve some sort of SD card storage to be added to the microcontroller.
I would first plan to prototype the functionality of these electronic components on something with a smaller form factor, probably a sheet of cardboard or posterboard that would lay out my LEDs in the correct location and allow me to bring it to class and work on it. Once my code and hardware is working, I could integrate my electronics into the actual climbing wall.
I think this project will be particularly fun and engaging to work on because once its complete I know it will be used regularly, and I'm excited to start working on it!
Materials:
- 1 Arduino (my Uno should work fine to start)
- 100 WS2812 LEDs
- 5 Push Buttons
- Wall materials: Plywood, 2x4s, T-nuts, Climbing Holds
optional:
- SparkFun RGB and Gesture Sensor (APDS-9960)
- Particle Photon
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