Going forward with the wireless bracelets and digital/physical lock box, I decided to research Bluetooth capabilities. This week I made a bracelet that talks to your computer and your computer can talk back to the bracelet through Processing. Tom Igoe let me borrow a Bluetooth chip for this project. The circuit board for the bracelet is a bit bigger, since a lot of the components are IC sockets, as to not permanently solder Tom's chip to my bracelet. This bracelet also has a secret pocket and I use velcro and velvet to protect the wrist from the circuitry. In the final pieces, I would like to expose the technology to show it's beauty and it would express progress and the promise of the future.

During this process, I found the conductive thread to be unreliable since the weave is loose, which hinders tying a tight knot. Problems I faced are the battery and voltage regulator. I may try a cellphone battery, and maybe the final product can be a rechargeable battery. In my first iteration of this project, I used a coin cell battery, which worked on a breadboard. As soon as I transferred all the electrical components onto the strip of velvet, my problems began. The coin battery did not work because I need a voltage regulator. In the second iteration, I had to use 2 double AA batteries.

Mock-up of "Hide-Box." In my Living Art class, I are experimenting with simulating the Northern Lights. I just purchased some 1-watt LED lights from Lumiled, and I experimented with etching a pattern on Plexiglas so that when the light hits the etching, it will refract multi-directional and also I would be able to control the pattern of the light. If this works, I may design a cube with a solenoid that can read the RF of the bracelet and allow access to the box, where a child may want to keep their diary. So when the child wants to hide her belongings, the sides of the "Hide Box" will light up, and switch-off for access.

This is a sample wall of the "Hide-Box."

My next step is to play with RF links because they have a longer range.