Project 1: Baymax Charging Station

Baymax lights up when put on his "Charging Box"

Design Goal

Thi week, we were introduced to making a soft circuit with conductive thread. For my project, I was excited to make a soft circuit with my own twist to it. I planned to make one of my favorite characters from the movie Big Hero 6, Baymax. My first design plan was to make Baymax's "heart" light up when put on his box. The image on the right illustrates my initial design plan.

Ideas

I have included the first design sketch of my soft circuit idea down below:

Fabrication

1.

The first step in the project was to sew Baymax's body. I used a template that I found online.

2.

I setup the circuit on the fabric and checked that the LED did indeed light up. I made sure to cover the entire circuit with plastic to prevent any short circuiting.

3.

I stuffed the body and was ready to add some details to the figure.

Issues

I realized that the light was not in the right place for the light to be portrayed as his "heart". Instead, I changed the design so that the light indicated that the robot was currently charging.

I also noticed that the bottom was not flat enough for the thread to connect to the copper tape. I tried to make the bottom flatter by adding some stitches to the figure.

Testing

After finishing the circuit, I tested to see that the LED light up when put on the box. I also tested it after I was done with the figure. After noticing that the figure did not quite sit flat in the box, I made some little changes to make the figure's bottom flatter.

Final Design

20230919_182504.mp4

Reflection

I initially started the project being more excited than anxious. After working with paper circuits and soft circuits in class, I was more confident working with circuits than on the first day of class. However, the entire project definitely included many trials and errors and I have learned many things in the process.

My discomfort with ideas and activities has occasionally led me to walk away from some co-curricular activities and courses. Recently, I have been making an effort to explore activities outside my comfort zone. Before starting the project, I had little to no experience with sewing but I planned to make a figure sewing by hand.

I was a little overwhelmed but when I broke up the figure into different parts, the task seemed much easier. My self-efficacy grew higher as I cleared the tasks one by one. I even learned a new stitch which was very helpful in increasing my speed. With some help from YouTube videos, I managed to finish up my little figure. Reflecting back, I have gotten more confident with sewing and better as well.

If I could visit my former self, I would tell myself to explore more activities that were outside my comfort level. I think building a higher efficacy can be achieved by challenging yourself over and over again and learning from the obstacles you face and the mistakes you make.

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