Make Your Familiar

If you wish to present this webpage as a slides presentation for your fellow facilitators, a presentation is included at the bottom of the page.

Setup

Goal of the Activity

As you perform the activity, consider how this will help you assist campers.

You will have to:

• Learn to troubleshoot basic hardware and software problems

• Exercise creativity through aesthetic customization

You will prepare to  do so by:

• Understand and create an interactive “character” that responds to real-world stimuli (sound, movement, etc).

• Attain a better understanding of coding by using Makecode to program micro:bit and Neopixel extensions

Workflow

This session will include multiple opportunities to gain hands on knowledge for making, coding, and designing interspersed with context. You will:

• Explore functionalities of a micro:bit 

• Understand the software and the extensions (Servo, NeoPixel)  

• Create a “familiar”, or character that can be constructed with a micro:bit and available materials

• Construct the “familiar” through hardware assembly and design using art materials

Hardware and Software of a Micro:bit

A micro:bit has two components:

Hardware

Micro:bit: The circuit board

• Wire inputs for the battery, computer, Neopixel LEDs

Software

MakeCode: The editor for Micro:bit

• Runs on a block-based programming system much like scratch

What is a Micro:bit?

Micro:bit Setup

Wire Stripping

Making the Familiar

The familiar, a character you will now create, will be a companion with you through your journey in the Anywear Universe. Think of it as a pet, who’s functionalities you can now determine and actualize through your own creative process!

You could make a pet elephant named Elphie, who’s trunk spins when it hears a clap, or you can make a pet cat named Kitty, who’ll light up and make a happy sound when it flies through the air.

The world is your oyster

Familiar Construction

Use the backstory you created and look again at the Guiding Design Activities page to help you define your Familiar’s aesthetic. Choose the materials that would best convey this!

Once you have the plan for your Familiar, craft and make it your own. You can start by sketching your ideas, then making them a reality, or by just getting inspired from the materials on the go.

You might need to redo things or change things around. That is part of the iterative design process. This is normal and expected. 

Explore what it could feel like having it connected to different places, even when moving around, by attaching the box you made to your body to different places (you can use tape for this exercise). This will inform how you design your Familiar.

Reference Slides