IPD 529: Design of Connected Objects & Experiences
Introducing students to a more conceptual, creative, and meaningful approach to designing for the internet of things.
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.
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.
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.
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.