Progress report -

Creating pneumatic-based bodily extensions for facilitating embodied representation

PneuMusculus: a. Working prototype of the PnueMusculus:

1. Phase 1: Emotibit was used to monitor the heart rate of the user to be able to determine the exertion levels taking into account the fact that exertion has a direct effect on the heart rate of humans.
2. Phase 2: MyoWare 1.0 which is an EMG (Electromyography) signal sensor that measures electrical signals produced by the muscles in case of contraction and relaxation. As an initial step towards EMG signal sensing, MyoWare 1.0 proved to be a great sensor but had limitations. Because of the low sensitivity, it could not measure signals in case of weak contractions which is why we had to rethink the idea of using MyoWare 1.0.
3. Phase 3: With further research, it came to our understanding that a newer version of EMG sensors called MyoWare 2.0 is capable of performing better. MyoWare 2.0 was quite challenging to set up as it required a deeper understanding of the sensor and its working. As per the research from online sources, the MyoWare 2.0 is compatible with microprocessors such as Arduino Uno and Arduino Nano. But on testing, it did not prove to work as expected. On testing with different microcontrollers, it came to our knowledge that the sensor worked as expected with the Arduino mega2560 board. ii. Inflatable bodily extension: There were several versions of the inflatable developed as per the needs of the project. There were about 7 prototypes developed using plastic sheets and heat seal which started from small air pockets to larger ones with more noticeability.

First inflatable(left) and final inflatable(right) with visibly larger peak.

b. Inflatable nose augmentation for Pneunocchio: i. Inflatable bodily extension: There were 4 prototypes developed for the Pneunocchio with the purpose of improving the aesthetics and retractability of the extension. Self-retracting wires and covering paper from party poopers were used for the purpose. The last iteration of the nose inflatable was more aesthetic.

PneuBelly: a. Working prototype of the PnueBelly: i. Sensing mechanism: The sensing of stomach sounds started off with the attempt to record sounds produced by the stomach as a reaction to consuming carbonated drinks and food.

1. The first idea was to use a Microphone amplifier MAX4466 with Arduino to hear the sounds produced by the stomach. It did not work out as the microphone was not sensitive enough to hear the stomach sounds.
2. The second idea was to seal the head of a stethoscope to the mic so that it amplifies the sounds produced by the stomach. But that did not work out to be effective as well as the sounds were too quiet to be heard by a stethoscope.
3. The third idea was to use a surface microphone which was way more sensitive than any other microphone. This microphone was taken from a device named Mogee Pro. However it did not work out as a possible solution as the surface microphones require hard surfaces to sense the vibrations but our outer skin does not have any vibrations due to the stomach sounds as the sounds are extremely quiet.