Overlapping Fiber Optics

            The first challenge I faced when making this prototype was how to uniformly bend 200 acrylic rods. After a lot of time with the heat gun, it came to my attention that the rods were flexible enough on their own and I did not even need to bend them. Next, I needed to solve the problem of how to get the rods to stay in place and not slip through the holes. I solved this by press fitting the rods in the larger grid. It was too difficult to also press fit the rods in the smaller grids, but I found that they stayed (mostly) in place since they were under tension from the bending.

            At the Exploratorium, a couple kids came right up and played with the rods. A few rods came out and it made me nervous, so I plan to cover the sides with clear plastic before the final testing. That will help make the whole thing more sturdy, as well. One of my lights broke after we arrived at the Exploratorium (this light was not ideal for my exhibit either), so I reversed the way users would interact with the exhibit. Instead of having the users interact with the smaller screens, I put the light over the larger screen and had visitors create shadows on that. This ended up working fine and the visitors seemed interested in the effect, but I think I will have three lights for my final exhibit, so that users can interact with either the large or the smaller screens. I had small objects for the visitors to use to make shadows, but I liked that most people used their hands to make shadows. I think I will get rid of the small objects in my final iteration.

            The most rewarding part of testing my prototype at the Exploratorium was when the visitors discovered something from my exhibit, called their friend or family member over, and tried to explain what was happening. Even though they were not always correct in their explanations, it was great to see that my exhibit made people stop and think. Some (especially the kids) were in awe, which was also fun to see.

            Alex K.'s exhibit was near mine, and I noticed that we had similar problems due to the size of the user. We both ended up moving our exhibits lower. A good height for my exhibit seemed to be about three feet from the ground. However, I don't think I will build a permanent stand for it, partly because our final presentations will be for an audience of non-field trip kids, and partly because it's easy enough to just put the exhibit on a lower surface.

            By next Friday, I will cover the exhibit with a transparent material and make it look more polished. I will also have a label  for my exhibit. I will work on the lighting aspect, but I'm not sure that I will have it done by Friday.