Machine Slaps Participants When Debate Gets Unruly

While being a good debater means convincing others to take your side, for civil discourse it’s important to also listen to what your…

Jeremy Cook
5 years agoWearables

While being a good debater means convincing others to take your side, for civil discourse it’s important to also listen to what your counterpart(s) have to say. Although this headband/actuated hand assembly can’t prevent you from daydreaming or concocting your next argument, it at least keeps one person silent, enabling the other person to vocalize his or her point.

The device, or rather collection of devices, takes the form of two or more headbands with imitation hands attached to each by way of small servo motors. The third element, a ball, contains an array of magnets that trigger a Hall effect sensor that’s connected to the participant’s hand. Having the ball means that you’re allowed to speak, and keeps the “hands” next to your mouth in an open position.

If the other participant keeps quiet while not in possession of the ball, that unit’s hands stay open as well; however if out-of-turn talking is sensed via a microphone, the servos start slapping that person into silence. On the other hand, if the talker’s time runs out, indicated by LEDs, that person is also slapped to show that it’s time to relinquish the “microphone.” Each element is controlled by a Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 module, and the ball sets up an access point so that anyone can log on and see just how rude eveyone has been during the debate!

Jeremy Cook
Engineer, maker of random contraptions, love learning about tech. Write for various publications, including Hackster!
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