Solomon's Box

Intention

Solomon’s Box is an intricate puzzle box that is a true feat of craftsmanship and design. The box, inspired by the Celtic symbol known as Solomon’s Knot, is adorned with interlocking shapes and various symbols that represent the interconnectivity of life. But the box is more than just a decorative piece, it responds to movement, gestures, hand signs, and other actions within its environment. This box is an examination of people’s understanding of systems; it can only be unlocked through a series of intricate gestures and movements carried out by multiple people in different locations.

Technology has allowed us to transcend the need for direct contact and gain a level of influence over other people without being in front of them. Solomon’s box is symbolic representation of the power of technology to create interactions between people without their being in each other’s presence.

Context

The theme we wanted to explore was the feeling of interconnectedness. Something that is spooky about technology today is its power to enable human interactions that occur through invisible means. For example, remote control allows people to control machines across space by means of invisible signals, Bluetooth allows devices to “talk” with each other without any sort of physical connection, and the internet enables people to share information and experiences across the world while remaining in singular locations. We took inspiration from all these sorts of interactions because they enable things to affect other things through indirect, mysterious, seemingly other-worldly means rather than through direct contact.

For inspiration regarding the physical medium through which we would decide to explore the previously mentioned themes, we looked at mechanical puzzles, escape rooms, kinetic art, and other mechanical systems. We believed that the idea of interconnectedness would better be experienced if people could interact with something and see and feel how it would respond to them. Specifically, we took inspiration from a $30,000 puzzle box designed by Labsterium and various mechanical puzzles designed by local shops.

Prototype/Outcome

Our exploration resulted in an interactive installation that immerses people into an interconnected space. Solomon’s Box was an innovative creation that combined electronics, mechanical systems, and Bluetooth technology to create an engaging experience for users.

The box itself is made mainly from laser cut parts. It has several wood components including its gears, shelves, walls, designs, and connectors, as well as acrylic components. Most of those parts are fastened with either M3 hardware or industrial glue. The box contains 3 stepper motors along with 3 gear trains. The stepper motors have a driving gear connected to their shafts via gear couplers. Those driving gears turn their adjacent gears which then turn the patterns that they are connected to.

For the electronics, we used 4 Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense devices that communicated with each other via Bluetooth. One Arduino controlled the rabbit and caused its LEDs to light up every time its proximity sensor was triggered. Another Arduino controlled the twin clocks which would spin if their proximity sensors were triggered. The third Arduino was placed inside the jewelry box and would send signals whenever someone placed their hand inside of the box. The last Arduino was the central one; it took in the signals from the 3 peripheral Arduinos and used their data to control the state of the puzzle box.

Although we ran into technical difficulties during the exhibition, our overall design was captivating. Ideally, it would be refined to utilize Bluetooth across different spaces so that people would interact with objects in front of them, but then hear sounds from across the room. In general, our project has the potential to be further explored to create more interactive, engaging aspects that unearth the theme of interconnectedness further.

Process

Draw from your weekly project logs to tell the story of your exploration. Describe how you arrived out the outcome. What iterations, refinements, design decisions and changes were made? What challenges were encountered and how did you resolve them?

Open Questions and Next Steps

What remains unresolved (in the concept, implementation or conversation around this outcome)? What are the things we should pay attention to for future explorations? What questions about 'spookiness' or everyday technology did this exploration raise or generate? What questions reamin to be addressed?

Reflection

Critically reflect on the success of this project. Were the aspirations and ambitions achieved. Was it received and encountere din the ways you wanted? If not, why not? What do you need to get there, etc?

Attribution and References

Reference any sources or materials used in the documentation or composition.