Posted on by lucaslongo

Computers for the Rest of You – Capturing Your Experience

IDEA:

My illusion is that I am pretty restless even when I am sitting down – I shake me leg constantly and I can never sit still.

PROJECT COMPONENTS:

  1. Accelerometer transmitting its data via Bluetooth in my pant’s pocket.
  2. Cell phone running a J2ME applet reading serial data coming in through Bluetooth. Click HERE for the applet. Instructions are HERE – by Dan O’Sullivan.
  3. Same applet creates a log in the cell phone.
  4. Once logging is complete, the same applet transmits the log via Bluetooth.
  5. Java applet on computer that reads serial data and stores it into a file. Click HERE for the applet. Instructions are HERE – by Dan O’Sullivan.
  6. Another Java applet on computer that reads and parses the data and saves the values into txt files. Click HERE for the code – you will have to change the file paths for your computer.
  7. C/OpenGL program that draws data in the form of a bubble with the data as input. Click HERE for the code.

I am using the x, y, and z components of the accelerometer to determine the phase shift of the spheres.
I logged my movements during a period of 6 hours.

DATA VISUALIZATION:

The sphere is drawn on a 3D plane and an increasing yellow line on the top shows which portion of the 6 hours of data that you are looking at. Here is the video:

You are seeing the following:

  1. At home getting ready to leave
  2. Going down 5 flights of stairs
  3. On bike going to school
  4. Going up 4 flights of stairs to ITP
  5. Sitting in class
  6. Going down 4 flights of stairs for coffee
  7. Going up 4 flights of stairs back to class
  8. Sitting in class
  9. Going down 4 flights of stairs to leave
  10. On bike going home
  11. Up 5 flights of stairs
  12. END

CONCLUSION:

Even though the data visualization cannot be associated easily with specific movements
you can actually tell that even when I am in class sitting down (mid portion of the data) the sphere keeps wobbling. There are very few periods of stability or no movement confirming my initial thought that I am always moving around and restless.
I also noticed that I am the happiest when I am on the move – well – on my bike more specifically.