Fidget Card

Problem Statement: Many people use fidget toys to engage their brain with an additional stimulus to better focus on a primary task. Over the years fidgets have been designed to be smaller, quieter and more multifaceted as to ensure their ability to engage the brain for a sustained amount of time and to not engage or distract those not fidgeting. While fidgets have gotten better, such a large volume of options causes some users to fidget unproductively and often continue to spend money on popular but ineffective products.

Goal: Create a fidget that tracks and processes user fidgeting data into a report on their fidgeting patterns and informs them about ideal future fidgets buying.

Process: You should maintain a record of your work as it progresses. This should include: components used, photos and videos of the circuits assembled, code (and versions of your code), reflections and challenges encountered, how you solved problems, iterated etc. Be able to tell the story of your work.

Process:

What does any ol' fidget need to be?

Quiet: Fidgets can have sound but the most ideal fidgets make little or no noise. This makes them ideal for use even in a library, business meeting, classroom, or office space. The places where fidgets are most useful in the channeling of focus.

Small/ Hideable: Fidgets need to be used almost anywhere even if it is little or not tablespace. It should be small enough for a person to hold it without it being obvious that they are fidgeting holding a fidget.

Underwhelming to non-users: Following the trend of being discrete, fidgets are supposed to be subtle in appearance. Many fidgets have interesting bright contrasting colors but fidgets that are good for focus in workspaces make little or no other environmental noise. Playing with the fidget should not pull others out of focus. If it focuses the user while distracting other people in the space its not doing its job well. Any type of lights, motion or dynamic display is likely to distract others which is why this project includes not lights or speakers. This is also a reason that fidget spinners are not considered appropriate desk items in workplaces and schools. Depending on their use and the user's interaction with their surroundings it can become more of a toy than a fidget

Multi-Fidgeted: No one fidgets exactly the same way every time. This is why many fidgets feature many types of fidgets. The motion(s), textures, sounds and other types of touch and feel hand to brain stimulus. Having many fidgeting options prevents boredom and increases the chances of having a more constant peripheral engagement and therefore more consistent focus.

Materials

Amount	Part Type	Properties
1	Photon	variant variant 1; manufacturer Particle; pins 24; name Photon; version 1.0.0
4	Pushbutton	package [SMD]
1	Pushbutton	package [THT]
1	Basic Flex Resistor	sensing area diameter 6 "
1	Basic Force Sensing Resistor (FSR)	sensing area diameter .5 "; package THT
1	Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - ADXL335	chip ADXL; axes 3 (x, y, z)
1	Thumb Joystick
1	Square Pushbutton	default state Normally Open; switching circuit SPST
1	220Ω Resistor	tolerance ±5%; resistance 220Ω; package 0402 [SMD]

And Material for the housing.

Circuits

Code

Outcome: Be able to illustrate the final outcome. Explain how complete the prototypes is and how it works. Your documentation for this section must include:
- Completed code
- A circuit diagram (use Fritzing or similar)
- A list of parts
- A video of your completed project (use in context, operation, etc.)
You are welcome to include illustrative diagrams (workflow, etc.), additional photos, or a concept video.
Next Steps: What would you do if you took this project forward and why?
Reflection: Reflect on the challenges you encountered and the process as a whole. Did you get where you wanted to? If so, great. If not, why not? What do you need to get there, etc?

Fidget_Card_bom.html

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Problem Statement

Many people use fidget toys to engage their brain with an additional stimulus to better focus on a primary task. Over the years fidgets have been designed to be smaller, quieter and more multifaceted as to ensure their ability to engage the brain for a sustained amount of time and to not engage or distract those not fidgeting. While fidgets have gotten better, such a large volume of options causes some users to fidget unproductively and often continue to spend money on popular but ineffective products.

Goal

Create a fidget that tracks and processes user fidgeting data into a report on their fidgeting patterns and informs them about ideal future fidgets buying.

Process: You should maintain a record of your work as it progresses. This should include: components used, photos and videos of the circuits assembled, code (and versions of your code), reflections and challenges encountered, how you solved problems, iterated etc. Be able to tell the story of your work.

Process:

What does any ol' fidget need to be?

Underwhelming (to non-users): Following the trend of being discrete, fidgets are supposed to be subtle in appearance. Many fidgets have interesting bright contrasting colors but fidgets that are good for focus in workspaces make little or no other environmental noise. Playing with the fidget should not pull others out of focus. If it focuses the user while distracting other people in the space its not doing its job well. Any type of lights, motion or dynamic display is likely to distract others which is why this project includes not lights or speakers. This is also a reason that fidget spinners are not considered appropriate desk items in workplaces and schools. Depending on their use and the user's interaction with their surroundings it can become more of a toy than a fidget

Materials

Label	Part Type	Properties
Argon	Photon	variant variant 1; manufacturer Particle; pins 24; name Photon; version 1.0.0
Button1	Pushbutton	package [SMD]
Button2	Pushbutton	package [SMD]
Button3	Pushbutton	package [THT]
Button4	Pushbutton	package [SMD]
Button5	Pushbutton	package [SMD]
FlexBendSensor	Basic Flex Resistor	sensing area diameter 6 "
ForceSensor	Basic Force Sensing Resistor (FSR)	sensing area diameter .5 "; package THT
Gyroscope	Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - ADXL335	chip ADXL; axes 3 (x, y, z)
Joy Stick	Thumb Joystick
PushButton	Square Pushbutton	default state Normally Open; switching circuit SPST
R2	220Ω Resistor	tolerance ±5%; resistance 220Ω; package 0402 [SMD]

Fidget_Card_bom.html

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Code

//Sensor Variables
//Functional
//

//Fidget
//Analog
//Roll:GyroScope
int rollPin=A0;
//Flick: Flex Bend 
int flickPin=A1;
//Wiggle: Joystick
int wiggleXPin=A3;
int wiggleYPin=A4;
//Smooth: Pressure Sensor
int smoothPin=A5;


//Digital
//Wiggle cont'd
int wiggleSWPin=D0;
//Toggle on off button//| Slide: 2 way switch (not a toggle button)
int togglePin=D1;
//Click: tactile button group
int clickPin1=D2;
int clickPin2=D3;
int clickPin3=D4;
int clickPin4=D5;
int clickPin5=D6;

//Particle Variables
//raw data values
int rollValue;
int wiggleXValue;
int wiggleYValue;
int wiggleSWValue;
int flickValue;
int clickValue;
int toggleValue;
int smoothValue;

//count variables
int rollCount=0;
int wiggleTime=0;
int wiggleClickCount=0;
int flickTime=0;
int clickTotal=0;
int toggleTotal=0;
int smoothTime=0;

void setup() {
    

    pinMode(rollPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(flickPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(wiggleXPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(wiggleYPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(wiggleSWPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(togglePin, INPUT);
    pinMode(smoothPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(clickPin1, INPUT);
    pinMode(clickPin2, INPUT);
    pinMode(clickPin3, INPUT);
    pinMode(clickPin4, INPUT);
    pinMode(clickPin5, INPUT);
    
    
    
    Particle.variable("cRoll",&rollValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cFlick",&flickValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cWiggleX",&wiggleXValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cWiggleY",&wiggleXValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cWiggleSW",&wiggleSWValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cToggle",&toggleValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cSmooth",&smoothValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("cClick",&clickTotal, INT);
    Particle.variable("flickTime",&flickTime, INT);
    Particle.variable("wiggleTime",&wiggleTime, INT);
    Particle.variable("wiggleClkTtl",&wiggleSWValue, INT);
    Particle.variable("toggleTotal",&toggleTotal, INT);
    Particle.variable("smoothTime",&smoothTime, INT);
    Particle.variable("clickTotal",&clickTotal, INT);
}

void loop() {
    // checkRoll: publishes raw data 
    checkRoll();
    //delay(1000);
    //check wiggle: publishes raw data; unidentified issue with switch on and off 5V?
    checkWiggle();
    //delay(1000);
    //check flick: publishes raw data 
    checkFlick();
    //delay(1000);
    //check click: Untested
    checkClick();
    //check toggle: publishes raw data; unidentified issu See long comment below
    checkToggle();
    //delay(1000);
    // //check smooth: publishes raw data when other sensors aren't publish; unidentified issu See long comment below
    checkSmooth();
    delay(2000);
    /*
    Toggle/Smooth Test error:
    {"device":{"system":{"uptime":188,"memory":{"total":171272,"used":85304}},"cloud":{"connection":{"status":1,"error":17,"attempts":1,"disconnect":1},"disconnects":2,"publish":{"rate_limited":0},"coap":{"unack":8}}},"service":{"device":{"status":"ok"},"coap":{"round_trip":43},"cloud":{"uptime":0,"publish":{"sent":0}}}}
    */
    
    //delay to account for human speed's inadequacies
    //delay(5000);
    

}

void checkRoll(){
    rollValue = analogRead(rollPin);
    //Particle.publish("roll value is :", (String)rollValue);
    //delay(500)
    //Record Roll time and 
    //Record Roll rate
    //Record total rolles
        //Store roll data to a day file at 11:59:59 and reset
    //return 1;        

}

void checkWiggle(){
    wiggleXValue = analogRead(wiggleXPin);
    int wiggleYValue = analogRead(wiggleYPin);
    int wiggleSWValue = digitalRead(wiggleSWPin);
    String wiggleValues = (String)wiggleXValue;
    wiggleValues+= ", ";
    wiggleValues+= (String)wiggleYValue;
    wiggleValues+= ", ";
    wiggleValues+= (String)wiggleSWValue;
    //Particle.publish("wiggle values are :", wiggleValues);
    //delay(500);
    //Record Wiggle time and 
    //Record Wiggle rate
    //Record total Wiggles
        //Store wiggle data to a day file at 11:59:59 and reset
    //return 1;        
}
void checkFlick(){
    flickValue = analogRead(flickPin);
    //Particle.publish("flick value is :", (String)flickValue);
    //delay(500);
    //Record Flick time and 
    //Record Flick rate
    //Record total Flicks
    if (flickValue < 4050) flickTime+=2000;
        //Store flick data to a day file at 11:59:59 and reset
    
    //return 1;   
}
void checkClick(){
    int clickValue1 = digitalRead(clickPin1);
    int clickValue2 = digitalRead(clickPin2);
    int clickValue3 = digitalRead(clickPin3);
    int clickValue4 = digitalRead(clickPin4);
    int clickValue5 = digitalRead(clickPin5);
    int cClickTotal = clickValue1 + clickValue2 + clickValue3 + clickValue4 + clickValue5;
    if (cClickTotal>0) clickValue = 1;
    else clickValue = 0;
    //Particle.publish("total click value is :", (String)clickTotal);
    //delay(1000);
    //Record Click time and 
    //Record Click rate
    //Record total Clicks
    clickTotal+=cClickTotal;
        //Store click data to a day file at 11:59:59 and reset
    //return 1;  
}
void checkToggle(){
    if (toggleValue!= digitalRead(togglePin)) toggleTotal++;
    toggleValue = digitalRead(togglePin);
    //Particle.publish("toggle value is :", (String)toggleValue);
    //delay(1000);
    //Record Glide time and 
    //Record Glide rate
    //Record total Glides
        //Store glide data to a day file at 11:59:59 and reset
    //return 1;  
}
void checkSmooth(){
    smoothValue = analogRead(smoothPin);
    //Particle.publish("smooth value is :", (String)smoothValue);
    //delay(1000);
    //Record Smooth time and 
    if (smoothValue > 250) { 
        smoothTime=smoothTime + 2000;
    }
    //Record Smooth rate
    //Record total smooths
        //Store smooth data to a day file at 11:59:59 and reset
    //return 1; 
}

Click to Expand

Circuits

Outcome: The Fidget Card tracks six different fidgets using six different sensors:

Roll:GyroScope

Flick: Flex Bend

Wiggle: Joystick

Smooth: Pressure Sensor

Toggle Pushbutton

Click: Tactile button group

At the moment it can only tally or time the fidgeting behaviors. It stores the variable that indicates those pieces of historical data and the real-time measurement of the sensors. This means a user can get a report of their frequency with each fidget. By understanding the timing of the fidgeting themselves they can also figure what kind of fidget is best for them

Demo Time

FidgetCardDemo

ashabi13 - https://youtu.be/tuONx9blpik

Next Steps:

There is a lot more that can be done with this data to give users helpful information and better their overall fidget experience. It is easy to create a function that can relay the user's fidgeting to date. Likewise, each fidget relates to other existing types of fidgets that can easily be sent to the users upon request with a separate function.

Additionally, it would be nice to experiment more with the design and material used for the housing. Using acrylic for the rotating mechanism and wood for the rest of it would make it easier to roll the bottom disk, make it smaller, make it lighter, would ensure that the components were more secure, and hopefully allow for the fidget to be scaled down.

Reflection:

If given another go at it, I may have focused more on the data and the outer shell (housing) of the project. These were things that seemed simple but turned out to need more time than expected. Additionally, Given the amount of movement in a fidgeting mechanism, designing the housing, constructing and soldering additional elements to facilitate the movement of the sensors without the circuits being damaged was very difficult. Figuring out the best arrangement for the easy use of and access to components also made this project more time consuming. In the future, the dimensions and arrangements settled upon will aid in or help to eliminate that decision-making process.