yūrn

The Team

Jackie Berry, Joyce Liu, Max Rutman, and Sahana Rajasekar

Logo

Demo Video

Slides

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qbuss60bmZCVI3DdPKjIYUFz6NuBzT5ACAS6fkYXy4s/edit?usp=sharing

Final Product

How to make it!

Photo resistor controlled servo motor.

#include <Servo.h>

Servo servo1;
int val;
boolean recentlyOpened;

void setup()
{
servo1.attach(9);
recentlyOpened = true;
}
void loop()
{
  val = analogRead(0);  
  int position;
  servo1.write(0);  
 
  if(val <= 500 && recentlyOpened == true){
    recentlyOpened=false;
    for(position = 180; position >= 0; position -= 20)
    {
      servo1.write(position);
      delay(500); 
    }
  } 
  
  if (val>=800){
    recentlyOpened = true; 
  }
} 

Audio Code

#include <Wtv020sd16p.h>

/*
 Example: Control a WTV020-SD-16P module to play voices from an Arduino board
 */

#include <Wtv020sd16p.h>

int val;
int resetPin = 2;  // The pin number of the reset pin.
int clockPin = 3;  // The pin number of the clock pin.
int dataPin = 4;  // The pin number of the data pin.
int busyPin = 5;  // The pin number of the busy pin.

/*
Create an instance of the Wtv020sd16p class.
 1st parameter: Reset pin number.
 2nd parameter: Clock pin number.
 3rd parameter: Data pin number.
 4th parameter: Busy pin number.
 */
Wtv020sd16p wtv020sd16p(resetPin,clockPin,dataPin,busyPin);

void setup() {
  //Initializes the module.
  Serial.begin(9600);
  wtv020sd16p.reset();
}

void loop() {
  // play sound file 0
  val = analogRead(0);
  //wtv020sd16p.asyncPlayVoice(5);
  if(val >= 60){
    wtv020sd16p.asyncPlayVoice(5);
    delay(3000);
    wtv020sd16p.asyncPlayVoice(1);
    delay(3000);
    wtv020sd16p.asyncPlayVoice(2);
    delay(3000);
    wtv020sd16p.asyncPlayVoice(6);
    delay(3000);
    wtv020sd16p.stopVoice();
  }
  Serial.println(val);
  //delay(500);  
  

 

}

Project Description

We created yūrn, a locking jar that attempts to address overeating and impulse control through auditory, tactile, and social feedback.

We came up with this idea because when people start snacking, they can easily start to mindlessly eat and end up overeating. We wanted to impulse control through having a locking mechanism so that people would be physically barred from giving in to their impulse eating after already having had a snack.

It provides auditory feedback when you open the jar. The jar will play sounds, such as remind you about eating, suggest alternative snacks, or provide humorous commentary. It provides tactile feedback when you close the jar. It will automatically lock for an hour to prevent you from accessing the jar. We imagined a social component in which when you open the yūrn, it would post a status onto your Facebook or send a message to your close friends. Additionally, it would keep track of the frequency in which you open yūrn over time and allow you to visualize your yūrnings in graph form.

Observational Documentation

In the kitchens we observed, we saw many activities centered around food: cooking, baking, eating meals, snacking, sharing food, preparing food. There were also other activities such as chatting, catching up about each others' days, washing dishes, cleaning, or organizing. Some of us lived with many other people and had an industrial kitchen. The industrial kitchen was not conducive to having much activity beyond meal times, but the activity of snacking or grabbing was snack was still present.

We explored the various senses that were engaged in the kitchen: there were smells of delicious food, tastes of various textures from food, sponges, countertops, visual cues on stovetops, and sounds from the microwave, sink, and sizzling from the stove,

Items that were present on the countertops we observed included dish drying rack, coffee machine, cooking utensil holder, fruit, snacks, microwave, toaster oven, plants, seasonings, paper towel holders, etc.

We were drawn to the idea of snacking because it can be a very social or a solitary activity and was a consistent activity throughout the kitchens we observed. At the same time, while it's a pleasurable activity, we observed that people would lament how they shouldn't have eaten so much after snacking. It then ends up being a type of love-hate relationship with snacking. The people we interviewed talked about how they wouldn't know how much they had eaten and would sometimes mindlessly eat until they reached the bottom of the container or finally felt. full. 

Observational Documentation Pictures

Benchmarking and Inspirations

• Food on the Mind: 20 Surprising Insights From Food Psychology: http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/02/food-on-the-mind-20-surprising-insights-from-food-psychology.php
• Keyless Lock Box: http://makezine.com/projects/make-32/keyless-lock-box/
• Bag Cap: http://www.copco.com/store/site/department.cfm?dc=pw_bagc
• Sensor Activation: http://makezine.com/video/deploy-weekend-projects-to-send-sensor-activated-sms-alerts/

00 // Brainstorm

01 // Preliminary Sketches

02 // Idea Refinement

We started off with the idea of wanting to make a chip clip or an enhanced chip clip that could also act as a bowl, allowing for portion control. However, considering the technical knowledge that we had and our recently acquired familiarity with Arduino, we decided that we wanted to make use of the servo mechanism. Another intermediate idea was to build a locking jar cap to fasten onto a jar lid.  We bounced ideas off of each other as well as with the teaching staff, and eventually settled on the jar idea. 

03 // Building Process

Social Aspect