Smart Objects (6 CFU)
General Information
This course introduces the basics of smart objects, i.e., objects able to interact with an external environment and with other objects.
The aim of the course is to provide students with the background needed to develop a product prototype featuring interaction capabilities.
The topics covered in the first part include the notion of smart object, principles of object-environment interaction, and some basics
on programming, with emphasis on command execution.
The second part of the course is devoted to the prototyping platform Arduino, and covers aspects of elementary circuit design and Arduino
programming. Students will learn how to make a product prototype able to interact with the external environment, through a simple circuit
controlled by Arduino.
- Course taught from Oct 10, 2016 to Jan 23, 2017
- Lectures will be held on Mon 14.30 - 16.30, 17.00 - 19.00 in classroom F7
- Student hour: please check
here
Course Programme
- Smart Objects: Overview
- The Sense-Think-Act Interaction Paradigm
- Overview of the Arduino Structure
- Basics on Programming (Sketch for Arduino)
- Sensors and Actuators
- Interfacing with Sensors and Actuators
- Elementary Circuit Assembly
- Arduino Projects
News
- Oct 10, 2016: Course starts
Course material
Book
We will be using the "Arduino Project Book", i.e., the standard book that comes with the
Arduino Starter Kit. You don't have to buy any of these (of course, you can, if you want).
For Arduino and the respective hardware, please take a look at our
shopping list.
For the book, you can photocopy any of the copies that I will circulate
(without violating the copyright as the book
is released under a
Creative Commons License).
Arduino
Students are required to buy the Arduino platform together with some components that will
be used during the course. Teams (of max 3 people) can buy a single platform (+ components)
to use in their project. A basic shopping list is reported below. This will be used to learn the
basics of Arduino programming and circuit assembly. Additional components
may be needed, as the course progresses. These will be announced as well.
Of course students can buy additional components, if needed by their prototype.
Slides
Lectures
-
Oct 10, 2016: Welcome lecture joint with the other courses of Product Design.
-
Oct 17, 2016: Introduction. Smart Object overview,
Arduino structure, Sketch program structure.
Basic Sketch Instructions: pinMode, digitalWrite, delay.
Variables, constants, comments. Exercises.
(Slides 1-47)
-
Oct 24, 2016: digitalRead, if-then-else, conditions, loops: while. Exercises.
(Slides 48-78)
-
Nov 7, 2016: 1st delivery review. Loops: for. Textual output. AnalogRead, AnalogWrite.
Exercises.
(Slides 78-86)
-
Nov 14, 2016:
Powering Arduino.
Basics on Electric circuits (current, voltage, breadboard).
Basic components: buttons, resistors, diodes, LEDs.
Exercises. (Slides 87 - 119)
-
Nov 21, 2016:
Voltage reading with analogRead.
Basic components: LDRs.
Basic princioples of circuit assembly (decoupling of sensor and actuator circuits).
Exercises. (Slides 120 - 127)
-
Nov 28, 2016:
Lab.
-
Dec 5, 2016:
Lab.
-
Dec 12, 2016:
Lab.
-
Dec 19, 2016:
Lab.
-
Dec 26, 2016:
Christmas Holidays.
-
Jan 2, 2017:
Christmas Holidays.
-
Jan 9, 2017:
Final Delivery.
Information about exam
The exam consists in implementing a prototype that features interaction capabilities,
using the Arduino platform. For students who are attending Product Design I, it is required that
the project be the same. Project deliveries will take place together with those of Product Design I.
During the exam, questions about interaction aspects (including Arduino and programming) will be asked
to all team members who take Smart Objects. These will contribute to the final mark.
Marking (1st delivery, 2nd delivery, final project and exam): 10% 10% 80%