Technical Design: Inside the brain (My Role)

My role within the group was to create the clay brain, get it vacuum formed (so it would then become a plastic model) and then wire up the insides so it would connect to the screen depending on what area you would press.

We thought of a number of ideas of how to get a human touch to signal what image was shown on the screen for each area, including a number of sticks which when would be pressed down on it would push a key on a keyboard. However considering how much time we had, and the effect this would have on the audience, we thought it would be best if we use a MakeyMakey.

Because we want the person to put their hands around the brain and feel it rather than just push a button, the MakeyMakey was best for this, as just a touch on a conductive material will trigger the button on the keyboard via a electric current on the circuit board. It sounds fairly technical, however below is a simple diagram of how it works.

But instead of a banana and the man holding the other wire in his hand, they will be replaced by metal pins in which will be embedded into the plastic brain (flat side facing up). This means the participant would have to hold most of that area of the brain for it to work. 

I done this for all 4 areas of the brain. I also added lights inside to represent the neurones that are inside the brain that allow signals to journey around the body.