Unconventional Switch - Electronics Team 12

 

For our team’s unconventional switch, we decided to go the aesthetic inquiry route to test our ability to bridge electronics and art. While discussing ideas for the switch, we came upon the idea of making some sort of slot to interact with, which led to a classic piece of mythology: The Sword in the Stone. We approached this piece using methods from narrative sculpture and simplified it using basic materials. For the “stone”, we used an eight-inch foam half-sphere, as it would just cover the board. The inside was hollowed with carving techniques, allowing all the necessary components to fit inside. This was used on the front to leave a thin layer of foam that would allow the interior LED’s light to be visible. A notch was made in the back for the USB port, and a small slot was carved into the top to insert the aluminum “sword”. Small pieces of EVA foam were attached inside the sphere to guide the “sword” into place. A coin was taped to both foam pieces and attached to alligator clips. When the aluminum foil “sword” is placed in the “stone”, it will react to the coins and light the symbol from within.