Programmaballs are the world's first light-up bean-bag juggling balls that know exactly when you're touching them.
To accomplish this, a suite of new components were designed, fabricated and integrated:
- A circular milled circuit board uniquely designed to support juggling interaction prototyping
- A translucent fabric juggling ball shell with velcro for interfacing with capacitive thread
- A method for ball assembly using translucent beads for diffusion and impact resistance
- A web-based UI for configuring and fine-tuning multiple juggling balls over the internet
Making Of (in 49 seconds)
Slide Summary
How do they compare?
Programmaballs exist within a lively universe of light-up juggling balls. Comparison (.csv):
Programmaballs answer some interesting questions:
- Capacitive-touch input is an effective mechanism for throw and catch detection
- A circuit board can survive juggling flight in a bath of plastic pellets
- Off-on-hold and animate-on-throw are entertaining light effects for juggling performances
Programmaballs will hopefully serve to inspire development of future soft/bean-bag juggling balls with light-up functionality. The light diffusion of these materials is excellent.
All design files and materials for Programmaballs are available for others to use to create their own (see the Development Process for more details).
Special Thanks
Huge thanks to everyone who helped me on this and other projects throughout the semester. In particular:
- Jiri, Teja, Jake for their help during office hours throughout the semester
- Zach, Camron, Patricia and Alfonso for their help various weeks
- Tom, John, and all the shop folks!
- Graham and Karen Jordan who heroically helped make a sewn-ball approach work despite my learning how to sew a week before project completion!
- Peter Billam for sharing his Postscript N-piece leather juggling ball pattern generator
- Neil for putting together the awesome How to Make Almost Anything course!