Project by Sean Fraser and Anna-Alicia McDonald-Fortier
The clay that plays!
Singing Putty is a new game controller that explores basic electronics with color, shape, sound and sculpture. Use the putty to connect the nodes on the board to the center to play. Twist, bend, roll and squish your putty in two exciting game modes.
Conductive Clay!
Did you know that even commerical modeling clay is conductive? Singing Putty uses that property to become a flexible, malleable controller. It is far more resistive than regular wire so the more you stretch it more it cuts the signal. The Singing Putty program is able to detect just how much resistance the putty has in completing the circuit and uses that to effect game play!
Challenging Circuits!
Singing Putty makes building circuits a sinch. Simply connect one or more of the colored shapes to the middle node and the circuit is complete!
Test your reflexes against a friend or the computer in Challenge Mode. See who can earn the highest score by making the right connections fastest in this game of reflexes. Watch out! The timer gets faster and the circuits get more complicated every time!
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Musical Gardens!
If you are looking for a more relaxing game, try Garden Mode! shape your putty to conduct your own symphony in ‘Garden Mode’. Stretch your putty and try different recipes to change the sounds you can produce. Shape your Singing Putty into monsters and see what kind of noises they make across the board.
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Conductive Dough!
Conductive dough is the backbone of Singing Putty . Sure, any modeling clay is conductive, but this one is fun, quick, cheap, easy and really works, so why not make your own?
- Mix the water, 1 cup of flour, the salt, the lemon juice, the vegetable oil, and the food coloring in a medium-sized pot.
Don't worry about ruining it- since we're only using flour and other basic ingredients a quick soak can easily get any extra dough unstuck after cooking. - Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat.
It might not seem to be working at first, but it will start to clump up in the center before long (about 3-5 min). - Set the dough on a floured surface.
Careful! Let it cool down before you touch it! Knead in flour and water gradually until you get the texture you like. Optionally, let it sit in the fridge to toughen up a bit. Store in a ziploc bag!
Insulating Dough!
- Mix1 cup of flour, the sugar, the vegetable oil, and the food coloring in a medium-sized pot.
Don't worry about ruining it- since we're only using flour and other basic ingredients a quick soak can easily get any extra dough unstuck after cooking. - Add in the water gradually, until it seems most of the water has been absorbed and the dough has a granular texture.
- Make the dough into a single lump.
Knead in flour and water gradually until you get the texture you like, as well as the food coloring. Careful not to be wearing anything you might stain! Optionally, let it sit in the fridge to toughen up a bit. Store in an air-tight container, like a resealable bag!
Try things out!
There are no rules on how to use your Singing Putty ! Make creatures, incorporate other conductive materials, even mix conductive and non-conductive dough to get the perfect combination!
The Singing Putty game is built with Processing and Arduino, both open source softwares that you can learn to use and make your own game! Arduino wiring diagram available here
The original dough recipes are inspired by Squishy Circuits , see them for more cool circuit ideas and slightly different cooking instructions.