What is it?

 Rorschach Dream was insbired by the history and creation of ink blot tests. Rorschach Dream works by using a microcontroler,light emitting diodes(LED),specialized liquid formula, SHARP long rande infaered sensor,and a custom heat source.The lava-like formula floats around the sealed glass forming bubbles that rise and sink. Sealed in the right glass container is an organic dye made from marigold petals. In the left glass container is a dye made from red sharpies. Both of the colored dyes help create the shadows similar to the traditional ink blots when in a dark room.

My Process

It all starts with the concept I am trying to convey combined with enthusiam for creating a physical prototype. A few rough sketches of the design build are transfered into a series of 3D scale models to get a more detailed visual of the structure. Next comes research and foraging of materials for the project. It is easy to get carried away in the excitement of planning for a new project,but it is important to create a budget list. I look for used or repurposed items to stretch the materials budget.

Does it work

The Max MSP microcontroller has the potential to control the imputs being fed to it by the sensors and power source. I used differnt color wires and stuck to common black and red for ground and power. The microcontroler can be easily damaged by mis-wired circuits.I managed to creat a short in the device durring testing and used an Arduino Uno as a backup motherboard. The coding can be used with both microcontrollers. There are several variations on the codes and a multitude of helpful resources available.

 The "lava" formula I used originated from a combonation of recipes from online research. I made several batches before deciding to add a bit of color to the solution.