cwwang.com

Projects and Blog Posts

06.29.08

Pneumatic Muscles Instructable
Here’s an instructable on how to build your own pneumatic muscle for ~$30.
06.01.08

Dreyfuss Bluetooth Handset
This is a one-off hack to retrofit a genuine Western Electric Dreyfuss Telephone Handset into a full fledged Bluetooth handset. A single button at the center of the mouthpiece controls all the functions (pairing, answering calls, etc.), while a blue and red LED indicator glows from within. The handset recharges via USB and [...]
06.01.08

Momo wins Art Hacks 2008
Momo won the Art Hacks division at Libelium’s 2008 Arduino Contest.
Here’s our entry video.
Momo from che-wei wang on Vimeo.
05.20.08

Compass on Wrist 2
Suunto compass re attached to a custom leather strap.
05.10.08

Feedback Playback 2
FeedBack PlayBack is a dynamic film re-editing and viewing system. The users’ physical state determines the visceral quality of scenes displayed; immediate reactions to the scenes feed back to generate a cinematic crescendo or a lull. We use material that is rigorously narrative, formulaic, and plentiful: the action movie series Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis. [...]
05.01.08

Bikecrumbs Prototype 01
Bikecrumbs is an invisible ink dripper that attaches to my bike to leave a permanent trail every where I ride. The trail is only visible when viewed under UV light.
Bikecrumbs: Prototype 01 from che-wei wang on Vimeo.
04.13.08

Tetherlight
Tetherlight is a hand held light that perpetually points at its sibling. Two Tetherlights constantly point at each other, guiding one Tetherlight to the other with a beam of light.
Tetherlight: Prototype 02 Rotation from che-wei wang on Vimeo.
The devices are each equipped with a GPS module, a digital compass, and a wireless communication module [...]
04.13.08

Feedback Playback
FeedBack PlayBack is an interactive, dynamic film re-editing/viewing system that explores the link between media consumption and physiological arousal.
This project uses galvanic skin response and pulse rate to create a dynamic film re-editing and veiwing system. The users’ physical state determines the rhythm and length of the cuts and the visceral quality of scenes displayed; [...]
04.13.08

GSR Reader
Galvanic skin response readings are simply the measurement of electrical resistance through the body. Two leads are attached to two fingertips. One lead sends current while the other measures the difference. This setup measures GSR every 50 milliseconds. Each reading is graphed, while peaks are highlighted and an average is [...]
04.08.08

Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton
04.08.08

Excel Import to Rhinoscript
Example Rhinoscript to import excel files into variables.
03.30.08

Drum Space
Drum space is a percussion instrument that transforms environments into drums. Participants are immersed within the space of drums as beats are created from the surrounding surfaces. The audio experience of the space is negotiated by each participant as they add and remove beats from sequences previously constructed by other participants. Will the [...]
03.27.08

Ornos: Prototype 01 Test
Here’s the first test with Ornos. The compass readings are behaving pretty well considering it’s right underneath a spinning hard drive. The 1.2Ghz processor and 512 RAM don’t seem to be enough to download and render the image quickly enough, so I’m going to have to figure out how to speed things up.
03.16.08

Oblik
Oblik ( オブリク )
Yokohama, Japan
Completed February 2008
03.15.08

Align to Point Rhinoscript
A basic Rhinoscript to rotate surfaces to align their normal to a point.
03.15.08

Basic Branching RhinoScript
03.13.08

Etek EB-85A GPS Example Code
Here’s some example Arduino code for getting a Etek EB-85A module up and reading latitude and longitude (will probably work with most GPS modules). You can purchase a module from Sparkfun.
The module only needs power, ground, rx and tx. Most modules like the Etek start sending NMEA strings as soon as it has [...]
03.12.08

Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton : Ankle Support
The ankle support is a low profile sleeve around the foot and a strap at the heel to connect to the air muscle. A shorter 12″ muscle connects the ankle support to the calf. The calf attachment is now constructed out of a single piece of leather with nylon reinforcement at the top [...]
03.12.08

Air Muscle Connection
The most common point of failure in all the test have been the connection at the collar around each end of the air muscles. The inflation of the muscle along with the tension force rip through the threads around the collar, so I’ve reinforced those points with rivets with some room to expand.
03.12.08

Exploded Air Muscle
This is what happens when you pump compressed air directly into an air muscle without a pressure regulator. Good thing I wasn’t wearing it when it exploded.
03.12.08

Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton : V 01 Test
After the first round of testing, I realized assisting jumping with pneumatics is nearly impossible. The size of the tubes and tank necessary to get a high enough cfm to actuate the air muscles at the speed of jumping seems too large for a lightweight wearable application. So, I’m going to concentrate on [...]
03.12.08

Ornos : Prototype 01
I was going to cover the lasercut masonite with a leather sleeve, but I’m going to go with cnc milled RenShape with a painted finish for the next prototype. The compass needs to be calibrated to the offsets caused by the magnetized computer hardware and I need to tweak some code to get the [...]
03.11.08

Same Food Same Poison
So if the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention is somewhat true, is it simply the established economic ties between countries that prevent wars? How about the shared experience of eating the same food? Listening to the same music, watching the same movies, speaking the same language, wearing the same clothes? Could a [...]
03.03.08

With Other
How can we share our unmitigated desire for sex, eating, and drinking? Drooling, like blushing is often beyond our control. Good food, or just thinking of tasty food can make people drool.
With Other is an amorphous teledrooling device. It comes in pairs, soft, and shaped like a smooth pebble. [...]
03.01.08

Ornos : Prototype Shell 01
Here’s a rendering of the custom housing for all the components of Ornos (HP TC1100, Arduino, Digital Compass, and a mouse). Hopefully everything fits and doesn’t overheat. The first version will be lasercut masonite. The final version will be some combination of stainless steel and leather.
02.29.08

Soft Pneumatic Suit : Prototype 01
I finally have a full assembly of all the major components sewn with thick canvas and leather. The small scuba tank provides the air pressure, controlled by an Arduino and solenoid valves. The basic operation of pneumatic muscle works. Air pressure at about 100psi inflates the muscle, creating a contracting motion of about [...]
02.25.08

Stabilize : Accelerometer + 4 Servo Motors
So far, the Arduino reads the x and y tilt values and translates them into motion across 4 servos to maintain a horizontal platform at the top. Next, I need to get the z tilt values to reverse the x and y tilts, so you can tilt the whole thing up side down and [...]
02.24.08

Ornos : A View from Above
Since the first hand drawn maps of the stars to satellite imagery and GPS navigation today, our frame of reference and our perception of space has been molded into a view from above. Our understanding of place is often linked to an abstract representation on a map rather than a physical relational comprehension. [...]
02.23.08

CSV import for Processing
Here’s a some code for Processing to import csv files and parse the entries into a 2D array.
02.20.08

Infinite Mouse Tracking
I wanted to use the mouse as a simple surface optical encoder to get infinite panning motion. The problem with reading mouse coordinates on the screen, is that once the mouse reaches the edge of the screen, it stops counting. So a simple solution is to reposition the mouse (using the robot class) [...]
02.20.08

Micromag 3 Axis
Here’s some modified code from Sensor Workshop to get heading values in Arduino from the Micromag 3 axis magneto sensor. Next up, accelerometer calculations on the magneto sensor to get tilt compensation on the compass readings.
02.19.08

Cheap Compact Camera Head-mount
I needed something to keep my hands free when I document my projects, so I made a simple head-mount for my Canon PowerShot Elph using an old pair of welding goggles and some stretchy fabric.
[instructables to make your own]
Cheap Compact Camera Head-mount from che-wei wang on Vimeo.
02.18.08

Pneumatic Muscle : Solenoid Valve Test
I finally got the solenoid valve hooked up to an air compressor and and arduino board. Air pressure is regulated at 100 psi. It looks like I’m going to need bigger pipes to get more cfm for faster muscle actuation. The shorter muscle has an over sized braided sleeve, which I thought [...]
02.17.08

Surface Output Example
.dxf and 3D point position .txt file output and sunflow rendering example
02.11.08

Trust Vision
1
Why should I trust you? Because you sound trustworthy? Smell trustworthy? Look trustworthy? How do we measure trust?
Trust Vision is a personally biased trust measuring video camera. As each frame is presented, a face or faces within the frame are superimposed with trust ratings based on previous faces that have been rated by the user. [...]
02.09.08

ESS Jiggling Students Example
An example sketch using the Ess library to make a class of objects jiggle in response to the microphone input
02.06.08

Window
Urban Computing : Window
1

Windows give a frame of reference, crops a view, magnifies a perspective. It filters and blocks. Window is the opening that mediates here from there. I would argue that windows are what give walls meaning. Without windows, there wouldn’t be a notion of “there” since the possibility of something [...]
02.06.08

Laser Tether : Sketch
Here’s a sketch of how the parts might fit to get the laser to freely point in any direction. 4 servo motors work in tandem to tilt the laser head. Batteries and the circuitry is stored in the bottom half of the cylinder. I was going to have a mechanical gyro to have [...]
02.03.08

TeleCursing
Video chat is great, but maybe I don’t want to see your face. Or more likely, I don’t want you to see me sitting at my computer in my underwear. A less intrusive channel of communication, like IM, is often desirable but we lose several modes of expression when we only communicate with text. [...]
02.01.08

Pneumatic Muscle : Pressure Test
The first set of home brew pneumatic muscles actually work. There’s no leakage and it looks like it holds well over 60 psi. The tiny air reservoir barely holds enough air for 2 actuations, so it looks likes a small scuba tank or a tiny air compressor is going to be needed. Weight [...]
02.01.08

Oblik : Afternoon
A few more views from the afternoon and some interior views
02.01.08

Oblik : Scaffolding Removed
After 8 months of being completely wrapped with scaffolding and gray tarps, Oblik is finally revealed. More photos coming soon.
02.01.08

Sensors Galore
An example of blobDetection, Ess, sms, and ocd all rolled into one sketch. Click and drag on the screen to move the HUD sliders around. (nothing is going to load here. copy the code to your processing sketch to run it)
02.01.08

Spot Example
A basic setup of a class structure
The class Spot has 4 inputs (x,y,diamter, color) and 3 functions
drawLines(float x1, float y1, float x2, float y2) , update(), and display().
Spot_Example : Built with Processing
01.30.08

Wall
Urban Computing: What is a wall?
Wall, as a simple force of division, marks a boundary between here and there. How do we define our world through walls? One could argue that geographical boundaries act as walls defining spaces within which all forms of life acknowledge and encroach. But even geographic boundaries are crossed [...]
01.30.08

Pneumatic Muscles
Here’s my first set homebrew pneumatic muscles. I’m not sure how strong these are going to be, but it looks promising. The compression fittings aren’t being used the way they were meant to be used, so it’s likely that connection will be the first point of failure when it goes under stress.
As [...]
01.30.08

Laser Tether
The Laser Tether is a hand held laser pointer that perpetually points at its sibling. Two Laser Tethers constantly point at each other no matter where they are on the globe. If my cousin in Beijing had a Laser Tether and I turned on mine in New York City, our lasers would point [...]
01.28.08

Pneumatic Soft Exoskeleton
Pneumatic systems are clean, safe, lightweight, and reliable. In a pneumatic electronic hybrid system, electric components simply control the flow of air pressure, removing the burden of weight and kinetic actuation from electrical power to pneumatic power. The advantage is a lightweight low idle power system with high power kinetic impact.
My initial encounter with pneumatic [...]
01.27.08

Talking Face to Face
Talking Face to Face is a networked communication system that detects the position of two users in relation to each other anywhere on the globe. Using a combination of GPS and a compass, the audio output is modified to create the sensation of the voice’s position and proximity to the listener. If Bob is [...]
01.22.08

moMo : Version 4
momo version 4 now has a sturdier lighter frame. A couple switches were added to control power to arduino and to the GPS unit. The whole unit somehow runs off 4 AA batteries instead of 8. I also realized the compass unit is not as accurate as we’d like. It has [...]
01.21.08

Table Pipes
Table Pipes consists of ready-made 3/4″ pipe fittings from our friendly local plumbing shop and two sheets of 2′ x 8′ x 1/2″ glass.
01.08.08

3T Chair : prototype 01
I finally got around to folding and assembling the 3 lasercut metal sheets. There are still a few kinks the iron out, but it may be a while before I get around to it.
01.08.08

Oblik : Construction
We’ve finally agreed on the building’s name, Oblik ( オブリク ), derived from the word oblique. Construction is now set to be completed by the end of February. Major concrete and exterior work is almost done. Now it’s mostly millwork and interior finishes.
12.30.07

Comp Form: CFOF
CFOF is an audio to visual translator that maps audio frequencies and volume onto a minimal surface (Catalan’s Surface).
12.26.07

Hemingwei Theme
This site runs the Hemingwei Theme on Wordpress. Hemingwei is a modified version of the Hemingway theme by warpspire.
Download: Hemingwei .05 Beta
Additional plugins required: Post Image and Lightbox 2.0
12.25.07

AGS : Haiku Shake V02
AGS aka Haiku Shake is a haiku generator. Tilting to the left begins the trickling of the haiku. Each haiku is generated randomly based on 3 haiku forms and a set of preselected words. To generate a new haiku, just shake it.
12.25.07

AGS : Haiku Shake V01 Shell
4 layers of industrial felt hold all the pieces together. 4 AA Batteries, one arduino with an accelerometer and an LCD panel.
12.23.07

AGS : Haiku Shake V01
AGS aka Haiku Shake is a haiku generator. Tilting to the left begins the trickling of the haiku. Each haiku is generated randomly based on 3 haiku forms and a set of preselected words. To generate a new haiku, just shake it.
12.19.07

momo on MAKE
Make: ITP Winter show
12.18.07

nytimes.com covers momo
more coverage on the ITP Winter Show
bits at nytimes.com: Object-Oriented Objects at N.Y.U.
12.18.07

nymag.com covers momo
Here’s a little write-up on momo and the 2007 ITP Winter Show at nymag.com.
nymag.com : MoMo Isn’t Exactly the New Seeing-Eye Dog, But He Sure Is Cute
11.22.07

moMo : A Haptic Navigational Device
Momo is a haptic navigational device that requires only the sense of touch to guide a user. No maps, no text, no arrows, no lights. It sits on the palm of one’s hand and leans, vibrates and gravitates towards a preset location. Akin to someone pointing you in the right direction, there is no need [...]
11.19.07

moMo : version 2
-new compass unit calcuates true north in relation to itself and waypoint (so it points in the right direction even if you spin it)
-upgraded to 32 Channel!! ETek GPS module
-4 AA batteries powers the entire circuit with 5.6V at 2700mha
-a new skeleton ( to be outfitted with a flexible skin soon )
-updated code for smoother [...]
11.16.07

Comp Form: Week 10
Mesh class, extrusion, sphere. . .
11.09.07

Comp Form: Week 9
Meshes, smoothing. . .
11.06.07

What is ITP?
“What is ITP?” was originally presented at ITP at NYU in the “Applications of Interactive Technologies” class November 6, 2007. Produced by the red GOAT team: chris cerrito, ja in koo, eduardo lytton, kim thompson rodrigo de benito sanz, xiaoyang feng, ami snyderman, and che-wei wang.
11.02.07

Comp Form: Week 8
3d, cylinder, ellipsoid . . .
10.31.07

momo : Prototype V01
10.28.07

Grass Type
Grass Type is a virtual grass mat. Mouse movements send waves of wind across the grass, erasing the imprinted text which then slowly reappears over time as the wind dies down. (developed with Tim Stutts)
Download grasstextapp.zip GrassTypeAdobe.app.zip (for Macs written in C and openGL).
10.26.07

SlaHuRa : Slappable Huggable Radio
SlaHuRa or Slappable Huggable Radio is a FM and AM radio that uses an accelerometer (tilt sensor) to change volume and frequency. There are no buttons to press or dials to spin. Tilting the radio from side to side adjusts the frequency. Tilting it from front to back changes the volume.
10.21.07

HND: Shell
For moMo’s prototype shell, we’re initially cutting out cardboard sections into the egg shape. Our next iteration will be lasercut acrylic. Servo motors are counter balanced and secured throught the cutouts in the material. The GPS unit is housed at the top of the egg shape.
10.19.07

Grass: Brush
A small step towards realistic grass in openGL and C. Grass responds to “petting” via mouse control.
10.19.07

Comp Form: Week 6
smooth lines, distortion, intersection . . .
10.18.07

HND: Live GPS and Vibe
Slightly updated code for incorporating vibe control via serial.
10.15.07

HND: Live GPS
Here’s our Processing sketch for taking a live GPS feed of some guy in Kansas that never seems to move. The applet displays his location, our fixed location and controls MoMo, our haptic navigation device via serial connection.
[HND: Live GPS]
10.13.07

Phylo Pattern Generator
phylotaxis applet
10.13.07

Attractor Topography
attractor topography applet
10.13.07

M5 Sights and Sounds
Step on board. Metallic cocoon. Shielded space. Muffled noises. Is there less inside or outside? I’m here. Beep at me. Do you know I’m staring at you? Noises and patterns breed deafness and sameness. Roaring sounds from the back shifts its pitch up and down. Coughs, sneezes, whines, and [...]
10.11.07

Grass 01
I’m working on an interactive grass mat with Tim Stutts. Using the subtleties in the grass movements, we can imprint text or figures into realistically rendered grass, projected from above. Here’s my first step. . .
Updated Here: Grass Type
10.11.07

Comp Form: Week 5 Assignment
Line drawing, strokes, brushes, rotation. . .
10.07.07

HND: Weight Shifting
Weight shifting sphere using 2 servo motors and a large weight. One servo is for z rotation, and another is for the x rotation ( or degree of weight shift ).
10.04.07

Comp Form: Week 4
interpolation, beziers, hair. . .
10.03.07

A Haptic Navigational Device
A haptic navigational device requires only the sense of touch to guide a user. No maps, no text, no arrows, no lights. HND sits on the palm of one’s hand and leans, vibrates and gravitates towards a preset location. Imagine an egg sitting on the palm of your hand, obeying its own gravitational force at [...]
10.03.07

Denen Apts: DD
So, the project started with this
10.03.07

Slappable Huggable Media Devices
Instigate change.
10.02.07

Cold Warmer Hot
Observations on navigating and searching using cold, cooler, warm, warmer, and hot.
09.27.07

Comp Form: Week 3
Waves, gears, nature. . .
09.25.07

LAB: Arduino 02
BlowME BlowBACK
09.25.07

Den-en: Construction
Beautiful Japanese scaffolding. We’ll see in January, if it’s everything we thought it would be underneath.
09.24.07

AJAX GUI: Week 01
aaaargh
09.20.07

Comp Form: Week 2
Vectors, ovals, stars, and a clock. . .
09.17.07

Observation: Crosswalk Button
At certain intersections, the city offers a push button at the pedestrian crosswalk with a sign that reads, “To cross street, push botton, wait for signal, wait for walk signal.”
Hypothesis: People love to push buttons. It give us a sense of control. So, people push the crosswalk button. And perhaps they push it several [...]
09.13.07

Lab: Arduino 01
1st round of Arduino setups. After some struggle, I got 3 analog inputs that you can dial and try out different combinations until you hit the right code. When you do, the LED array spells out “HELLO”. . .
09.08.07

Comp Form: Week 1 Assignment
Drawing a portrait, landscape, and grid in C and openGL. . .
09.06.07

Lab: Electronics
First lab exercise. . .
09.05.07

Voltage Current Resistance
It seems like the prefered analogy for voltage, current and resistance uses water with pressured tanks, hoses, etc. The waterfall analogy was the easiest for me to understand.
If we draw an analogy to a waterfall, the voltage would represent the height of the waterfall: the higher it is, the more potential energy the water [...]
09.01.07

Muji Award 02
Muji Award 02 entries.
08.10.07

Hands Free Umbrella
The hands free umbrella was designed in collaboration with Dinesh Vader, the patent holder for the device. The design focused on ease of use, comfort and portability. Materials were chosen to make an attractive soft shell sling while keeping manufacturing costs low.
07.04.07

Master Mustache
The Master Mustache sticker set is finally here. The first set features the Kitchener , Nietzsche, Einstein, Dalí, Chaplin , and the Fu Manchu. All classics. Power, intelligence, class, and fantasy in a line above your lip. This set of 6 mustaches are made of the highest quality vinyl and made to last. Stick [...]
06.28.07

Chess Clock
I couldn’t find a fullscreen chess clock so I wrote a very simple application to do just that. The ring counts down the total number of seconds remaining instead of the traditional clock with second and minute hands. A small dot at the center of each ring indicates which player is white [...]
06.26.07

MultiPipe
MultiPipe is a simple plugin for Rhino 4.0 to pipe multiple curves at once with start and end diameter options and cap type options. Unzip and install by dragging the plugin into Rhino. The command line for the tool is “MultiPipe’.
Download: multipipe.zip
06.12.07

HUD Slider Class
The Heads Up Display Slider is a simple and transparent way to insert sliders into your Processing sketches. Just place the pde file inside your processing sketch and call the slider class for each slider you wish to create.
Download and place this .pde file inside your Processing sketch: HUD Slider Class
[Example applet]
05.30.07

Yes. It’s getting Built.
Construction for the Denen project is scheduled to be completed by March 2008.
05.28.07

Waiting Chair
Folded metal and felt chair coming soon.
05.24.07

Haptic Clock
The Haptic Clock is a small clock program for Java powered mobile phones. The clock conveys time through a sequence of vibrations so you never have to pull the phone out of your pocket to tell time. The idea behind it was to create a clock that would train my body to understand [...]
05.10.07

Paper Airplane Business Card
This design is inspired by Ken Blackburn’s world record paper airplane.
Tip: Fold the business card airplane with the wings tilted downward. It’ll fly like a dart.
05.03.07

It’s yellow now.
04.23.07

Love Fold
Love Fold seats you and a half on a thick piece of felt and a folded piece of metal. Comfy for one. Sort of comfy for 2. Really comfy for 1.5 of you. Available in steel, aluminum, or stainless steel. Pieces are made to order. Email me for prices, custom graphics, colors, [...]
04.19.07

Seroussi Pavillion
Here are some images from a collaboration with biothing. My focus was on developing the outer tiling module. The facted skylight is modulated with intersecting sin wave functions in relation to nodes of interest distributed across the site.
02.04.07

Self Portrait
Webcam pixel interpretation tool written in Processing.
02.04.07

Denen Apts
This 6 story apartment building with first floor commercial in Yokohama, Japan was design in collaboration with Akio Narita of Unit N.
02.04.07

Window Brick
01.02.07

Tilt SCREAM Pong
This is a verson of pong for those of you with Sudden Motion Sensors on your MacBook. Tilt the laptop to control the paddle and scream to increase the size of the paddle. Enjoy! But play it at your own risk.
Download Beta: tilt SCREAM Pong 0.06, tilt_scream_pong_0_07app.zip
11.03.06

Socket Socket Light
09.26.06

Den-en Stairs
Details and assembly for the fire stairs at Den-en.
09.03.06

FedEx Tyvek Wallet
@ instructables
03.11.06

II Desk
12.09.05

HEX Shelf
This modular shelving system uses a single joint component and a modular planes to create varying shelf sizes
02.04.04

Freedom In Familiarity
Urban sprawl perversely affects both the built and natural environments. To address the problems correctly, it is first necessary to understand the procedure in which it takes place both locally and globally. There have been studies which show the global effects of sprawl through streams of politics and economics. Several models have proven accurate [...]
08.29.03

Unfold > Encode > Fold
This modular unit system is comprised of 35 pieces of 18 gage stainless steel, which provides a thin rigid surface. All parts including the structure and surface are designed and fabricated in unison. All parts are flat-packed and shipped to the site for assembly by hand with very few tools. Designed in [...]
05.09.03

Blow Up Shelf
Blow Up Shelf = latex surface + pneumatics + motion sensor
05.08.03

Death Immersion
12.09.02

Battery Park City Ferry Terminal
11.05.02

Deceptive Coercion
05.16.02

A chair for
12.12.01

Tiger Lily Collage
12.12.01

Tumbleweed House
The Tumbleweed House consists of a radial assembly of parts surrounding a gyroscopic interior chamber. This house negotiates the ever changing topology of the desert by tumbling without positional hierarchy. The house consists of one main chamber and three peripheral chambers. The three peripheral chambers open and close according to its position [...]
04.24.01

Constellation
Constellation is a wireframe chair for two (a permanent installation at the Pratt Sculpture Park).
11.04.98

Labyrinth
12.12.97

Tire Speaker