Fabrication Issues

The primary challenge in the NRS devices is centered around motor control and housings as well

In the case of the fan harness the use of a DC motor, rather than a stepper motor, is due to the desired scale of a wearable device.  Motor control will be solved using a small potentiometer and pulse width modulation to create controlled gestures that are limited in range, never going past 180 degrees of motion, and creating distinct actions for the fan; slow opening and closing, rapid opening and closing, stuttering moves, etc.  Time permitting I will add a second motor for a twisting motion that will significantly increase the gestural potential of the device.  The housing and it’s relationship to the harness needs to be engineered so that the movement of the fan is isolated and doesn’t move anything else.  A similar requirement for the solenoids means finding a design that provides rigid containment of the solenoid action for haptic reporting.

For the wall mounted rack & pinion system,  a significant redesign at the outset of the quarter addressed many of the control and housing issues, but a rebuild is needed to examine how well these strategies work.