08/29: Speculations --- [Introductions]

Welcome to class for Robotic Arts Introduction!

This class is an introduction class. If you have never worked with electronics don’t worry, you are in the right place. We will speculate, learn, and experiment with electronics and you will make mistakes! So here are some rules.

1. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! The sole purpose of this class is experimentation, and experimentation is risky.
2. Take a risk! Try something you are not sure would work. You might discover something you weren’t looking for
3. Don’t worry about making a masterpiece. Again, this is an intro class which surveys various ways of working. Think of this class as an idea exercise class. If you learn something in 10 mistakes, it is better than not learning anything from one success.
4. Work economically! Start small and build it up
5. Make notes and sketches. Document your discoveries before you forget about them
6. Pay attention! Often when you are working with electronics, small changes make big differences
7. Take breaks. when you stare at your project to close and too long, you cant see anything any more. Go look at the sky
8. Avoid hooking battery in backwards
9. Don’t drink and solder
10. Don’t take anything apart that plugs directly into the wall

Syllabus and Schedule

• Focus, Goals, Learning Objectives
• Grading
• Student responsibilities
• Schedule

Some Inspirations

Here are some things to get thinking about robots and electronics around us...

Relationships

Zaven Paré
Interactive experiment with robot (Geminoid - Robotic clone of human) A robot trying to act normal by perceiving human who is reacting to the robot trying to act “normal”
Hroshi Ishigro Laboratories

Conpanion Robot Paro
Therapudic companion robot project "paro"

Norman White - The Helpless Robot

Kelly Dobson - OMO

Interfacing

Ranjit Bhatnagar - 28 Instruments, 28 Days

Sara Dittrich - Cadence

So Kanno

Oscar Lhermitte Seeing in circles

materiality

Zimoun

Le Pang

when thousands of cable crowded the skies

Submarine Cable map

trans-Pacific Cable Landing station

Dan Wilson

littleBits

littleBits is a modular and physical programing platform that affords quick electronic experimentation

github repository for little bits schimatics and documentation

Materials and Tools for this class

here are list of materials you will need to get for the first half of the semester. Second half of the semester there will be minimal required purchases.

• Arduino Uno R3 (25 ~ $30)
• USB cord A to B (one that is commonly used on printers)(3 ~ $5)
• 400+ pin Breadboard (prototyping board) (5 ~ $8)
• Jumper wire kit(preformed or flexible)
• Small storage container for your projects

There are many clones of Arduino and they might be a little cheaper, but for the sake of ease and consistency let's make sure we all get Arduino Uno R3. It will probably save you some troubles...

Here are some places to buy Arduino:

• Amazon prime is free for 6 months for students
• Arduino.ccArduino official website.
• Adafruit Close in NYC, generally fast shipping
• Sparkfun shipping can be slow

Be sure to get the USB A-B cable!