Basement Window Physical Computing

Basement Window

Introduction to Physical Computing, CMU's IDeATe Program

This second project focused on creating ambient lighting for an isolated environment. This project was inspired by the room in which the Introduction to Physical Computing class took place. The stark white brick walls of that basement room would result in my classmates and I being able to work for hours without any sense of time or connection to the outside world.  

The objective for this project was to bring a sense of time and natural processes to the working environment. The LEDs sewn onto the back of the curtain are connected to a Raspberry PI and an Arduino. The Raspberry Pi pulls weather data from a Yahoo Weather API, and depending on what the weather is, the Arduino will start a light simulation that reflects what's happening outside. 

Above: Initial concept sketches

Above: Photos taken during building and installing the curtain in the lab