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Innovation Brief

Technical Field

This project involves the fields of Robotics and Embedded Systems and Game Programming. This involves circuits, programming, and bringing some “life” to otherwise inanimate objects.

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Background Information

This project was inspired by children and the desire to promote reading.

Having been a teacher for over 15 years in public elementary schools, getting children motivated and wanting to read is a challenge. Giving students a book light designed in the shape of an animal that keeps a record of minutes read is a way to promote reading.

Prior Art

“Lucktime,” “Winchy,” and “Jetpen” are included in prior art as previous animal booklights, but they are flat except for Lucktime that is similar to an origami light used as a night light, not a true booklight. Animookites book light constitutes a fair-use of any copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US copyright law. “Animookites” by Amanda Grose is a creative common – permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.

Project Description

This project aims to create a different kind of booklight, specifically, booklights that are shaped like animals that can keep track of minutes read. Animal booklights that can be used to encourage reading. These booklights will be sold to primarily children and families with young children, schools, bookstores, and organizations that are trying to increase reading skills and overall enjoyment of books in general.

Innovation Claim

This project is innovative because although there are many other booklights in the world, there are not many animal booklights that have a 3D shape and none, to my knowledge, keep track of minutes read.

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Usage Scenario

Beyond being sold at bookstores and to families with young children, schools could find this device incredibly useful to track minutes read by children. Schools could use it during the school day and families could use it in the evening. It could give both parents and teachers insights into how much time children are reading or if they are reading daily since it will track minutes read.

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Evaluation Criteria

Is the booklight head in a 3D shape? 

Is it easy to turn on and off so that a child can do it without help?

Is it sturdy enough to give to a small child to read?

Is it flexible to where the reader can maneuver to get a good fit for the book?

Does the clip attach to the book easily so a child can handle it without help?

Does it keep track of minutes?

Does it track when tilted.

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Objectives and Tasks Associated with the Project

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Objective 1: Sketch and model battery box and book clip

Task 1: Draw a pencil sketch of battery box

Task 2: Model in Autodesk Inventor a battery box

Task 3: Draw a pencil sketch of book clip

Task 4: Model in Autodesk Inventor a book clip

Task 5: Attach battery box and book clip together.

(Done with objective one) (Redoing objective one – new box for new hardware. Working on clip)

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Objective 2: Sketch and model ball and joint

Task 1: Sketch ball and joint

Task 2: Model in Autodesk Inventor ball and joint

(Done with objective 2)

(Using Gooseneck tubing now, no need for ball and joint)

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Objective 3: Sketch and model “head, that holds LED,” and “extra appendages” of light

Task 1: Sketch Dragon head and wings

Task 2: Model dragon head and wings in Autodesk Inventor

Task 3: Sketch 1 other design

Task 4: Model 1 other design in Autodesk Inventor

(Tasks one and two were finished.) (They are being refigured)

(Tasks three and four will be finished after programming has been finished)

(Surveys from children are returned. User input suggests designing a cat next.)

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Objective 4: Wire up Animookites

Task 1: Sketch drawing of wiring for Animookite

Task 2: Diagram wiring for Animookite in Tinkercad or Fusion 360

Task 3: Wire Animookites in real world.

(Objective 4 should begin in SIP 408 and be completed by the end of SIP 409 for the Dragon booklight only.)

 

Objective 5: Stress test analysis on Animookites

Task 1: Once all Animookites have been modeled in Autodesk, begin stress tests.

Task 2: Fix any parts of Animookite that doesn’t pass stress tests.

(Objective 5 will be started in SIP 409.)

 

Objective 6: Add “brain” to Animookites.

Task 1: Add a tilt sensor in Fusion 360 or in Autocad

Task 2: Add a tilt sensor in real life to Animookites

Task 3: Add a way to count minutes read to Animookites, may require some programming with Arduino mini

 

These have been changed from Arduino mini to a M5stickC

(Objective 6 was started in SIP 311 with Arduino, changed to M5StickC in SIP 408, but it won’t be finished until the end of SIP 409)

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Description of Design Prototype

The modeling will take place in Autodesk inventor system. This is how the shapes of the light will be designed, as well as the M5StickC container and the clip. 

Modeling of all “heads” of the Animookites will also take place in Autodesk inventor. Final project of all SIPS will have more than one Animookite type. Ex. First Animookite is a dragon. Start creating an Animookite cat in SIP 409. At the end of SIP 311, creator has made sketches of other creation “cat” to be made after surveying children (the main consumers of product.)

A simulation of the electrical side of the project will be done in Tinkercad with wires, LED, arduino timer, tilt sensor, and push button or switch for one Animookite at the end of SIP 311. This was done but now researching code to fit the M5StickC.

Creator will use real wires, battery, M5stickC, and LEDs to make the booklight light up in real life hopefully by the end of SIP 409 on one booklight.

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Evaluation Plan

Stress tests and analysis inside Autodesk inventor will help decide if booklight is sturdy enough to give to a small child, and if it is flexible before 3D printing. After 3D printing, it is also planned to give the device to a small child to check and see if a children ages 5-12 can use the booklight without help and if they can use it without it breaking, able to maneuver the light, able to turn on and off the switch by themselves, able to attach the book light to a book without help.

Project Completion Assessment

The first booklight created was semi-successful. First printed copy was too small to get wires up through, so the project had to be resized and reprinted. Second copy was handled ok by a 12-year old female product tester, but it was broken by a 9-year old male product tester. Second copy did have wires fed up through and did work before given to the 9-year old male product tester. Second copy was a learning experience that the entire booklight needs to be sturdier. Lesson

learned and what would be done differently is to trust the stress tests and learn how to conduct better stress tests in the Autodesk system before 3D printing.

A second issue is testing could not be done with product testers ages 5-7, at first, due to school closures.

A third issue is second copy was not hooked to Arduino mini, nor programmed to tilt sensor or programmed for minutes read. It was made and 3D printed before the idea of tilt sensor and programmable reader minutes came into fruitation.

The last and newest issue was problems with soldering the mini arudino so creator is going to try a M5stickC and gooseneck tubing to replace ball and joints. 

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Appendices:

Appendix A:  Section 107 US copyright law

Appendix B:  Lucktime

Appenix C: Winchy

Appendix D: Raymay

Appendix E: References

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Appendix E: References

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Appendix A:

Cornell Law School. (n.d.) 17 U.S. Code §â€¯107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

            Legal Information Institute. Retrieved from

             https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107

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Appendix B:

Lucktime. (n.d.) LED creative animal booklight.

            AliExpress. Retrieved from

            https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32980008535.html

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Appendix C:

Winchy. (2019) Booklight for reading.

            Amazon. Retrieved from

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Light-Reading-Upgraded-Christmas/dp/B07XZK6VW4?th=1

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Appendix D:

Raymay (2019) Bendable Booklight.

            Jetpens.com Retrieved from

https://www.jetpens.com/Raymay-Light-Man-Bendable-Book-Light-Animals-Dog/pd/25837

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