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.