Fireball
Tangible music player
Fireball is a tangible user interface (TUI) for a music player, which is controlled through play. The music player is an alternative musical toy intended for children and aims to be a fun supplement to their free time or recess in the schoolyard.
The designated song for this music player is "Fireball" by Pitbull. The project itself was an educational endeavor undertaken by my study group, aiming to explore the concept of controlling a music player through play, with a particular emphasis on the materiality aspect of the design process.
The project resulted in a demonstration of a physical prototype, which can be seen below:
Fireball
My projects / Fireball
The construction of the electronics consists of 5 light sensors located along a breadboard connected to an Arduino, which is hidden inside the bonfire
The fireball that the players have to throw over the bonfire to keep the song running. We chose to take a foam ball, which we painted in red and yellow colors.
The players initiate and keep the song running by throwing the fireball over the bonfire. If the players are not fast enough to throw the ball over the bonfire, the song stops (because the fire in the ball goes out), and then you have to start all over again. The first time the sensors pick up the ball, a new game starts, after which you constantly have 3 seconds to get the sensors to pick up the ball to keep the song running.
Fireball consists of a box designed to look like a bonfire, where players must keep a song running by throwing a ball resembling a fireball to each other. The prototype is constructed of paper, cardboard, and tissue paper in order to create the illusion of a bonfire and hide the electronic components.
Picture of the early idea generation phase, where we sketched out the initial concept, which we could later use to develop the prototype.
