ZEB (Part II) Interactive Pieces: Conduction

After the Environment Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) exhibit at Science World, BCIT wanted a change in one of the interactive pieces in their building center piece which I had previously worked on before.

It turned out that one of their non-electronic interactive pieces (a heat sensitive film that a visitor would touch and would change colour) did not function as well as envisioned, so they asked if a new electronic LED version could be created and installed, replacing the old one.

Since the budget and time frame was much smaller for this replacement, most of the hardware used here was off the shelf.

Working with one of the initial developers, my core work here was mostly programming, sourcing, and some minor assembly. A single point touch sensor was the main input, along with a 32x32 led matrix showing the animation. Some user switches were also added to adjust the animation speed.

Like before, a guide was also created for on-site maintenance.

The below video shows two short touches and a longer hold by a visitor. The longer the visitor touches the sensor, the 'hotter' the display becomes it which affects the rate in which it 'cools off' when the visitor lets go.