IPD 529: Design of Connected Objects & Experiences
Introducing students to a more conceptual, creative, and meaningful approach to designing for the internet of things.
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This course is offered by the Integrated Product Design Program & the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania
This course covers basics of design as an art form, wearables design, electronic sensors+actuators, and creating connected devices. The course culminates in a gallery show of the students’ work. The Spring 2018 gallery show, entitled "Shared Experiences", brought to life four interactive installations each based on a socially relevant concept, and strived to express or critique this concept through the user’s interaction with the piece.
Course Topics
Electronics
Control objects with the wave of a hand
Get grounded in electronics design.
Integrate digital and analog sensor information to drive displays, lights, speakers, and more.
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Heart rate sensing to rank scary movies
Microphones and speakers to create a responsive plant
Temperature sensing & RGB leds to create a visual dining plate sensor
Firmware
No if()'s, &'s, or bytes about it
Program in embedded C, a fast and lightweight language. These programs act as the glue to hold the sensors and actuators together.
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Drive motors, LEDs, and WiFi using a task scheduler.
Leverage Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) as a proximity sensor.
Near real-time audio transfer over a WiFi UDP socket.
Cloud
Get a deeper connection
The Particle Photon microcontroller can access a rich cloud platform to create immersive experiences.
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Text your emotion to a reactive rocky device to drive its color.
Your robotic desktop friend alerts you every time the International Space Station is whizzing by overhead.
Receive a picture of your stay-at-home pet when it passes by your sensor.