Responsive System A year 2 design project to design a system that responds to its environment.

Module Lead

Franziska Conrad

Teaching Team

Dr Tim Woolman
Carl Leroy-Smith
Gary Underwood
Lauren Powell
Yaseen Reza

 

This second year project, Responsive System, requires students to design and prototype innovative mechatronic systems that are specific to their environments, innovative, and develop a unique design solution.

Each system must be programmed to respond autonomously in real time to two environmental factors; temperature, light, sound, air movement/pressure, moisture, and the proximity of movement detected within its field of vision.

It should also be specific to its given location and its local environment, and be demountable into its constituent parts and materials. It should take no more than two minutes to install on site, not damage its installed location and use energy, components, and materials efficiently.

Responsive system designs should be expressive and engaging to visually communicate the two responses to its sensed environment (through mechanical movement), be reliable and highly refined.

The sensors, mechanisms and Arduino circuit control chosen must be fully integrated so that the system can demonstrate multiple reactions at the same time. Students learn to combine mechanical and electronic components to achieve an overall system synergy.

Team working, judgement and communication are integral to the design process and the development of a successful solution.