Engineering

Computers - general / Engineering / Tools - Hardware — No Comments
9
Jun 11

iOS

It has been way to long since the last post, so here is a brief notification about what’s going on at work (FourMs):

I am currently working on an app for iOS-devices that spits out data from any sensor available via Apples API. This is nothing new since we already has TouchOSC and many others, but I am doing it for a couple of reasons:

  • GDIF – All sensor devices of the same species are created equal, or not. With a common namespace for similar observations (sensor data about the world) we wouldn’t have to care so much about hardware variations and I think GDIF can come to the rescue.
  • Analysis – Some analysis is already available via Apple’s API, but there is more to analysis than pinch and rotate. To get control over these things it makes sense to make an app that can serve as a framework for testing of new ideas.
  • Communication – I’ll come back to the whys on this in an official article
  • Visuals – We need control over the screen. This is not a button/slider app.

So this is for sure a brief post about something that deserve something a lot longer, but first things first! There is more in the pipeline.

cheers
Arve

Engineering / Max5 / Tools - Software — No Comments
19
Nov 10

MoCap -> streamViewer

Yesterday we (Kristian, Ståle, Mariusz and me) did some testing of fourMs MoCap equipment, and I had a chance to check how the streamViewer handled things in real life. Below is a screenshot showing graphs from both systems, and it seems like the streamViewer is on the right track to be something useful!

The streamViewer displays everything coming in its inlet automatically. No configuration is needed, but it has become clear that an ignore function for irrelevant data is needed. Then you can filter out any unwanted data streams without having to write code or tweak your data files/sender.

screenshot_streamViewer_Xsens_Qualisys

This image is a screenshot of the streamViewer displaying marker positions from Qualisys and Xsens.

I have added a new mode to the lister as well: Now it has got an adaption flag that works in boundless mode. Basically it allows the lister to update it’s input range while maintaining the output range, i.e. it does adaptive autoscaling of numerical values in incoming lists.

Cheers
Arve

Engineering / Tools - Hardware — No Comments
16
Apr 10

Short post: Just sharing some exiting MIT sensor news

This came in via the MIT-feed today:

“The CBA researchers’ device can do the work of at least six different micromechanical sensors. It can measure linear motion in three dimensions, which would ordinarily require three accelerometers. But it can also gauge its orientation — whether it’s tipped sideways or forward, or it’s been rotated — which would usually require an additional three gyroscopes.” (source: MIT)

Design / Engineering / Music / Tools - Hardware — No Comments
30
Oct 09

Contact microphones

Sensors are often a requisite for a successful end product when making a new interface for human-machine interaction. Contact microphones are one of my favourite sensors, and now we have a new batch of them in the workshop.

Contact mics are designed to pick up sound transmitted through hard materials: A contact mic glued to a table will pick up sounds that are made when things hit the table, but not what those around the table talk about.

Glue it on your floor, and make your computer aware of feet, toys, parts hitting your floor. By using a grid of contact mics you can even get a rough approximation on the position of things that are moving around!

Contact mic on my MacBook touch plate

Contact mic on my MacBook touch plate

Cheers
Arve.

Computers - general / Engineering / Tools - Hardware / Tools - Software — No Comments
27
Sep 09

Active speakers

I have set up a pair of active speakers and a subwoofer in my rehearsal studio: Two dB (dB Technologies) Opera Live 402 fullrange speakers, and one dB Sub15.

This is a setup that is sufficient for small gigs in clubs and such. The 402 speakers are rated at 500+100 watts, the Sub15 is rated 800 watts.

Point is: I sell this stuff, and want you to know about it. If you need speakers, microphones, cables or anything related to this, please contact. I have tested a lot of this for years, and I am confident that the products I sell is high quality, reliable and reasonably priced.

So why buy from Avols? Because Avols is about custom software and hardware. This means that you can buy speakers (and related stuff) and get software and/or hardware made for you and your needs.

You can save a lot of money if we set up a complete system running advanced, good sounding custom software creations for audio processing.

Please contact if you want more info. I will post more about projects that Avols has done in the past to illustrate how we do things.

cheers
Arve

Engineering — No Comments
23
Sep 09

Inspiring engineering

I do tend to look around for inspiring engineering stories. This is definitely such an inspiring story. It kind of sums up what I think engineering should be all about from early schooldays to higher education: It is all about making things that you need, without being stopped by lack of money, materials or what other people think about what you are making.

I also like this example beacause it is a striking parallel to the everyday concern about not having enough electricity/power in the industrialized parts of the world.

cheers
Arve

Engineering — No Comments
29
Jun 09

Mathematics

When I studied engineering (electronics) during my Masters thesis in Musicology, it took about one week to figure out that Calculus was not what I was going to use my time on. This was discussed with my lecturers in electronics and programming, and to my surprise they agreed.

Thanks to the people in the administration of that particular university college (Høgskolen i Vestfold) I could quit those topics that was looked upon (by me that is) as not so very relevant, and go for those topics that I needed, and still need.

I do indeed need math and physics, but books and links are more efficient than hours of irrelevant math-lectures. To me it seems like some math professionals love the fact that their topic is hard for students, in fact so hard that many students can’t get through exams. Ego. Many students, me being one of them, has to put more effort into irrelevant math than any other topic, only to get through a c(o)urse that we do not need. This is not because we are stupid, but because logic strikes hard when time is spent on something we do not need…. This is, in my opinion, not right.

I am  almost out on a rant here, so I’ll keep it simple: Those who teach mathematics in the irrelevant manner, should know better. Keep it relevant!

Now I have found someone who can speak out with authority and put things where they belong: Please – if you find math interesting that is – have a look at this presentation over at Ted’s.

Cheers
Arve.

Engineering — No Comments
19
Mar 09

I have this flag that I carry around.

In fact it is a link: http://managinghumans.com/. I do not want to say more about it. I just think that anyone who make stuff for humans should read it.

cheers
Arve