HOT & COLD
by
MAHSA KARIMI & SARA GAZZAZ
Hot & Cold is a notification device in a form of a headband that is triggered according to the surrounding temperature. The hairband includes a temperature sensor and a Neopixel LED that colors vary from dark blue to bright red according to the surrounding temperature.
Hot & Cold was what we decided to work on remaking from the first prototype of “SMARTER THAN ME” which was a piece of accessory in the form of a ring bracelet that also used a Neopixel LED in exactly the same way to show a range of colors depending on the temperature.
We are both into fashion and wanted to explore designing a piece that met our criteria in order for us to be able to wear it on fancy occasions.
Looking at our common interests, aesthetics played a big part in what we personally thought would make a valuable piece of accessory.
We also wanted it to be lightweight, comfortable, and contained.
Materials Used:
Felt
Thread
Wire Flower Petals
Velcro
Buttons
Arduino Micro
Coin Cell Batteries
Coin Cell Battery Holders
Prototype Board
Wires
Silicon Wires
Temperature Sensor
Neo Pixel LED
Electric Tape
Link to CODE
https://github.com/saragazz/TempRing.git
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
We redesigned it in the form of a headband because we thought it was interesting to experiment with as a headpiece that we wanted to be able to wear in the future.
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In the above left picture showing the prototype of “SMARTER THAN ME”, the ring was extended in a braided chain that acted as a bracelet and also connected to the breadboard which holds the Arduino, sensor, and portable power supply.
Similarly, in the “HOT AND COLD” headband the flower which is the newer version of the ring is also extended with a braided chain that is connected to the prototype board which holds the rest of the components needed for it to work.
HOW IT’S MADE?
We hooked up all the wiring that was needed on to the prototype board and securely soldered it on.
We then connected 2 coin cell batteries to the prototype board in series in order for us to add the Voltage so we can have a sum of 6V.
We then contained everything in a pouch that we stitched using grey felt and thread.
The silicon wires that connected the Neo Pixel to the prototype came out through the edge of the pouch.
We covered them again by braiding three colored threads over the wires.
We chose silicon wires because they are flexible and light and can resist any bends better than other types of wires.
We attached Pink, Blue wired petals around the Neo Pixel that created our flower which was the main visual part of our accessory.
We chose Blue, Red, and Grey as our color scheme. Blue and red are to represent the warm and cool colors that we used to appear in the Neo Pixel. We decided to use grey as a complementary color that would blend in.
The reason we chose wired flowers was to be able to position them in any way on our hair and close the flower if we wanted to dim the light.
On the pouch we cut out a square of the felt that exposed the batteries for easily exchanging them later if they wear out. We covered that area with a piece of felt and attached it using velcro for easy access.
This whole pouch went into a black cotton head band. Again, the flower and extended silicon wire were left out to attach to our hair using bobby pins.
We secured the pouch inside the head band with black buttons.
Below are videos showing how we braided the silicon wires.
We are very proud of the piece that we think is beautiful, unique and meets our criteria.
We actually planned out a way that we could both share it so that we can both enjoy wearing it at occasions that were special to us. In the future we plan on making more for our loved ones as gifts!
REFERENCES & RELATED WORKS
https://www.goodtoglow.com/pages/bow-tops-animated-and-color-changing
http://illuminatedcouture.com/led-headdress-and-light-up-headpieces/
