Studio Project
Major Studio 1 | PGTE 5200
MFA Design & Technology
Parsons School of Design | The New School
Advisor: Harpreet Sareen
The first prototype wasn’t a functional prototype. It has a peristaltic pump to make it look that it is pumping oil from the bottle to the tank. The testing was conducted using the wizard-of-oz method, by asking testers to write a ratio, and myself mixing the essential oil manually according to the given ratio.
Since the 12V peristaltic pumps are large and bulky, I tried to find a smaller option. One of the ideas I got from my feedback was a IV valve, which is very small, silent, and functional at the same time. In order to control a valve digitally, I found a servo valve online. The model only suited a tube with a small diameter, I tried to adjust it to be suitable for a larger tube. In conclusion, I failed; servo motors didn’t have enough power to move through.
I tried to make a modular design for the scent-jet, so that it is scalable and could mix more than 4 scents. Although I tried to come up with the design, it was difficult since I had no prior experience in circuit building and industrial design. I couldn’t find an option that could make it function the way I want it to and be compact/modular at the same time.
The second prototype, scent-jet v2 is a functioning prototype. The pumps are connected to a relay, that is controlled by an Arudino. The Arduino code maps an inputed ratio and matches it to the right amount of essential oil.
Although this prototype was functional, it had a lot of limitations;
- The user has to hold the bottles upside down in order to make the oil flow, which caused it to spill sometimes.
- The board wasn’t stable. It could be dangerous to hold a water-filled cup on top of the cardboard base.
- The water atomizer isn’t connected to any digital input. It has to be turned on manually.
// Write down the name of the scent
//scentA = clarysage;
//scentB = bergamot;
//scentC = sandalwood;
//scentD = teatree;
//Write down the ratio of the scent, 0-100 each
int scentARatio = 50;
int scentBRatio = 50;
int scentCRatio = 100;
int scentDRatio = 0;
// Do not edit below this line
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
const int pumpA = 2;
const int pumpB = 3;
const int pumpC = 4;
const int pumpD = 5;
const int scentA = pumpA;
const int scentB = pumpB;
const int scentC = pumpC;
const int scentD = pumpD;
float addedRatios = scentARatio + scentBRatio + scentCRatio + scentDRatio;
int scentMapped = map(addedRatios, 0, addedRatios, 0, 400);
int scentMappedA = (float)scentARatio / addedRatios * scentMapped * 5;
int scentMappedB = (float)scentBRatio / addedRatios * scentMapped * 5;
int scentMappedC = (float)scentCRatio / addedRatios * scentMapped * 5;
int scentMappedD = (float)scentDRatio / addedRatios * scentMapped * 5;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(scentA, OUTPUT);
pinMode(scentB, OUTPUT);
pinMode(scentC, OUTPUT);
pinMode(scentD, OUTPUT);
// Print values once
Serial.println(scentMapped);
Serial.println(scentMappedA);
Serial.println(scentMappedB);
Serial.println(scentMappedC);
Serial.println(scentMappedD);
// Default State
digitalWrite(scentA, HIGH);
digitalWrite(scentB, HIGH);
digitalWrite(scentD, HIGH);
digitalWrite(scentC, HIGH);
delay(2000);
// Load tube
digitalWrite(scentA, LOW);
digitalWrite(scentB, LOW);
digitalWrite(scentD, LOW);
digitalWrite(scentC, LOW);
delay(1000);
// Pause
digitalWrite(scentA, HIGH);
digitalWrite(scentB, HIGH);
digitalWrite(scentD, HIGH);
digitalWrite(scentC, HIGH);
delay(1000);
// A
digitalWrite(scentA, LOW);
delay(scentMappedA);
digitalWrite(scentA, HIGH);
// B
digitalWrite(scentB, LOW);
delay(scentMappedB);
digitalWrite(scentB, HIGH);
// C
digitalWrite(scentC, LOW);
delay(scentMappedC);
digitalWrite(scentC, HIGH);
// D
digitalWrite(scentD, LOW);
delay(scentMappedD);
digitalWrite(scentD, HIGH);
}
void loop()
{
}
I asked fellow students for testing. Testers understood how to use the device while it was connected to a screen showing an editor with example ratios on top. They enjoyed how the pump was mixing the oil; it had a rough spinning sound and seemed to be almost ‘spitting’, as they mentioned, out the oil.
All testers agreed it was hard to hold up the essential oil bottles upside down without spilling it. Some thought it could be even better if the humidifier was also connected to a digital pin of the Arduino, so it starts operating after the mix of scents.
After testing out the 2nd version of the scent-jet, I planned on making a 3D printed housing for it. With the feedbacks, I also tried to find ways to connect the the humidifier to a digital pin, without having to use a breadboard. Aside from the feedback, it looked like they struggle a little while trying to understand how to use the device. So a GUI would be necessary to make it easier to use.
The scent-jet v3, which is the last prototype made within the semester, had improved stability, housing and aesthetics. Due to time constraints, some of the improvement points addressed on v2 weren’t developed.
For scent-jet v3, a 3D printed housing was added to improve the user experience from the previous version. A slot was made to hold the water tank and the essential oil bottles in place. The wiring was improved with stronger wires. A longer tube was added on the oil side of the pump, in order to pump the oil without having to hold the bottle by hand.
Some of the improvement points from v2 still has to be added. I did find a way to connect the humidifier to a digital pin through soldering, but I needed to connect it to a transistor, meaning it would need a breadboard to connect. I should try to find another way to accomplish this without the need of a transistor. + I still have to improve the GUI, which is currently just the Arduino IDE.
I got feedbacks that it was great to see how my personal experience from childhood motivated me to start this whole project.
However, the final outcome didn’t convey the meaning that started this project. It was more focused on the functionality, and making it work.
Feedbacks from classmates says that they would like to see how this used in real-life environment.
A lot of the tools and methods I tried out during this project were new to me. I had no prior experience in using Arduino or electronics, it was also my first time using 3D tools and a 3D printer. And of course, I never thought about olfactory interaction before. Through this project, I was able to expand my capabilities on fabricating my ideas.
Although I learned a lot, I was drawn away from my initial motivations. I started this because I want to recreate the smell that I like. Which wasn’t conveyed in my final outcome. I was able to make a device that could possibly do that, but I was driven away by just trying to make it work and functional.
I learned that I should always ask myself how and why I started the project. I did get frustrated and tired because I failed so many times just to figure out how to make this work. The important part wasn’t about the device working, it was about how I recreated the scent that brings me memories and perhaps others with theirs as well.
Footnote.
Thanks again to everyone that gave me feedbacks, and all my wonderful classmates/instructors who helped me out throughout the project.