The hardware finished just in time for the catalogue picture. Thanks again to Hans, my lovely model. So this is one of the five breathCatchers to be used in the performance.
I’ve been working with plastic and paper to create different device prototypes. I was very happy with look of the plastic prototype. I want the design to be light:
The part I like most is where I stitched the plastic together with nylon thread:
But when I did 30 minutes of meditation wearing the device I nearly suffered from hyperventilation. It was so stuffy. Something that was less obvious when I worked with the paper prototypes. Also the plastic became steamed very quickly which points to the greenhouse effect it houses.
So I’ve switched back to paper. That has the advantage that it works a lot quicker and that you can glue the parts. Also the data is a lot more stable over time. The only thing that still needs looking into is how to make the edge of the cone comfortable. I’ve used the soft part of Velcro until now but it comes lose. I’m now considering felt. It is a beautiful combination with paper. I must decide quickly now because I still need to make 5 items.
The electronics are done, I need to calibrate a few more wind sensors like this:
But I’m getting the hang of it. It needs a soft subsurface (not shown). Asserting pressure on the sensor board influences the values… We keep learning :)
I’ve made some progress with the breathing_time hardware. Together with
Richard (I was his ‘lovely assistant’) we soldered all the parts on a
compact board. It will be much easier and more wearable to work with.
Pete Hartwell shows how HP’s ultra sensitive accelerometer can be used to
detect heart disease by measuring the phase between a patients breath and
pulse.