How To Make (almost) Anything (2009)
Series of projects realized in Neil Gershenfeld’s How To Make (almost) Anything course.
Select Projects
Something (almost) Big
Something Press-fit
Something Composite
Something Final: Hanging Conversations
Two hanging scales that converse about the weight of the objects they hold. The scales are made from knit wool tubes that have a resistive yarn included in part of their structure, which allows them to sense weight through stretch. At the bottom end of the tubes the knitting is composited into a semi-rigid container, by drenching the wool in epoxy and then inflating a balloon from within. Openings in these containers allow for objects to be placed inside of them. The top ends of the knit tubes are strung from wooden rigs that double as their communication platforms. The communication happens via visible light and photo-resistors. the circuits are vinyl cut from adhesive copper foil and applied directly to the wood of the structure. Once both hangings recognise that they are weighted they begin a conversation about who is heaviest. Their goal isis for them to reach a decision which they both agree upon and then to communicate this to a human audience.
