For this project, I created a one-handed baton that lights up and make noise. This baton is a protest object which ironically jabs at the views of climate change deniers. The baton is supposed to represent a futuristic defensive weapon similar to a lightsaber-police club hybrid.
In the not too distant future, for some unknown reason, the polar ice caps have melted completely. Currently there are hordes of polar bears and seals untethered and teeming with hatred. This baton, titled the Artic Annihilator 3000, was created in order to combat the oncoming invasion of artic wildlife and protect the world form ravenous penguins. It is essentially a large, metal rod with a handle. However, by harnessing the heat produce by the sudden and unexpected increase in temperature the Artic Annihilator 3000 glows bright red with the energy of the sun. The goal of the Artic Annihilator 3000 is to strike fear into all artic creatures so that may return home and give up their plans for world domination. Hopefully, with the help of the Artic Annihilator 3000, the world can finally start to heal.
The main housing components of the baton are 3D printed made from red PLA. The board used was the Adafruit Circus Playground Express, which was supplied by Adafruit. Once printed, the baton was easy to assemble. The piece which holds the circuit board slide over the handle, which is entirely hollow and hold the battery pack. The main rod of the baton is made of lantern paper and 4 small wooden sticks and is secured to the handle using hot glue. The baton uses code written in Microsoft MakeCode. As described above, the Artic Annihilator 3000 grows hotter and more powerful as the ambient temperature increases. In order to simulate this the board’s LEDs are always on and all glow red. Utilizing the board’s temperature sensor, the LEDs are programmed to glow brighter the warmer the ambient temperature. As demonstrated in the included video, when the baton is heated with a hair dryer the baton gets brighter. As an added feature, the board is also programmed to emit a sound whenever the baton is swung.
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