— Once in a while the DQI group at ID TU/e does a few days’ workshop: DQI Doing Days. This time we explored the design of complex systems through creating dynamic light objects that communicate. Three groups each created two objects that communicate either through their light behavior, wirelessly (through xBee’s) or both. We were asked to create functions in the arduino code that could be activated  by other light-objects. This workshop was organized by Remco Magielse and Serge Offermans of the Intelligent Lighting Institute. My group set out to create an object that would disrupt the behavior of the others’ objects, both through light and through xBee communication. We created two turrets, one with a light sensor and one with 3W LED’s. The turret with the sensor continuously searches for the lightest spot around it, telling the other turret where it is. The turret with the super bright LED’s will then turn in the same direction to ‘blind’ the brightest spot. (we assumed that other light-objects would also have light sensors and that delivering a bright light to them would then disable any of their behavior that would be based on varying light levels). In the end the behavior is a bit more surveillance than virus-like. Continue reading