Fly Simulator (Fly Empathy Generator)

House flies (Musca domestica) are known for invading our homes and spending the rest of their lives there. An average housefly lives 28 days. We must be able to live in harmony with them for that short of a time.

The fly knows nothing about the contracts you have signed and the money you have spent to buy your house, so who is to say it is any more your home than theirs. What mercy would we like to be shown when we end up in the wrong place?

The fly simulator distorts the human senses to mimic a flies experience when encountering a human. The goal is to get people to empathize with houseflies and in turn treat them with more kindness and respect.

Supplies

For the fly eyes and the fly face we used fly_face.stl and fly_eyes.stl from the following Thingiverse link https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1924668. Thank you @retrofluffyboy on Thingiverse!

Step 1: The Fly Mask

1. Assemble these parts: Arduino uno + Adafruit Motor Shield v2 + Adafruit Screw Shield. Attach the servos to the plugs: "servo1" and "servo2". Attach the light sensors into the following slots: 5v, GND and A0. Copy the "antennae.ino" code and paste it into a new sketch in the Arduino software.
2. 3D print "fly_face.stl". Once printed, saw the antennae off as neatly as possible (we used a dremel). Then you will put two small servos through the holes you just made and put the antennae on the servo horns (we used blue tack to attach them). The servos will be connected to the Arduino pack.
3. 3D print "fly_eye.stl" from this link https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1924668/files. We drilled a lot of small holes into the eyes so you would be able to see through it. You will attach these on the mask as the final step.
4. Get a sleeping mask, cut holes where the eyes are. Build the mask with cardboard and attach the fly face. Use masking tape and hot glue to secure the pieces. Then you can use paper strips and wood glue to create the desired shape, kind of like you would do with paper maché glue. Then paint wood glue all over to make the mask look smooth and then paint over it with black paint. We cut hairs from a broom and hot glued them on to mimic the hairs on flies. Then hot glue the 3D printed eyes on.
5. To attach the mask to the peltor, we drilled a hole into each side of the ear-pieces and placed a screw and bolt. then we attached the elastic bands from the sleeping masks on to the screws. Secured with hot glue. Then we drilled a hole on top of the head piece and placed a screw and bolt, then we added an elastic from there to the center of the mask with hot glue to make it more stable.
6. You might have to extend the electrical wires on the servos. Make them at least 30cm by soldering an extension wire to each wire. Then secure the cords together with black electrical tape.

Step 2: The Fly Swatter

1. Assemble these parts: Arduino uno + Motor Shield v2.3 + Adafruit Screw Shield. Attach the big servo to the plugs: "servo1". Attach the light sensors into the following slots: 5v, GND and A0. Copy the "slappergreen.ino" code and paste it into a new sketch in the Arduino software.
2. Attach the fly swatter to the servo wheel cap, secure it well. We screwed it on and secured it with some wire through the servo cap.
3. Carefully build a box around the flyswatter+servo to protect it and take into consideration the movement of the fly swatter and the cord from the servo. We used cardboard and masking tape.
4. You might have to extend the electrical wires on the servo. Make them at least 30cm by soldering an extension wire to each wire. Then secure the cords together with electrical tape.

Step 3: The Fly Wings

1. Assemble these parts: Arduino uno + Adafruit Motor Shield v2. Attach the big servos to the plugs: "servo1" and "servo2". Copy the "wings.ino" code and paste it into a new sketch in the Arduino software..
2. Print out a picture of a fly wing on a A3 paper. Shape the moldable wire according to the picture. Try to make it sturdy on the top part of the wing where you will attach it to the servo. Create a hole for the screw for when you will screw it on the servo. Use a hammer to flatten the wire.
3. Put the cellophane on both sides of the wing and iron it. Remember to have a towel or baking sheet on top. You might have to hot glue the edges to secure the cellophane to the wire.
4. Screw the wings onto the servos.
5. Take some cardboard and trace the outlines of the servos. Cut out holes and secure the servos with cardboard. It should be as flat as possible.

Step 4: The Vest

1. Get an outdoor chair cushion and cut two pieces out of it then glue or sew the edges.
2. Get the elastics and cut them to the desired length. 2 strips for each shoulder and 2 for securing the vest.
3. Remove the foam where you want the fly swatter to be so it can fit snugly in the hole. Make sure to thread the servo cord to the back of the vest before inserting the box.
4. Cut a small hole in the top of the front of the vest and slide the wires for the antennae servos in there
5. Remove the wings from the wing servos and cut an opening into the back of the vest and slide it to where you want the wings to be. Then cut holes in the fabric so the tips of the servos stick out. Glue around it and make sure to not put any hot glue near the spinning part. Then you can attach the wings again.
6. Sew and glue the elastics on the vest for the shoulders. Sew and glue one side of each remaining elastic to the back part of the vest and place velcro on the other end. Then place the other part of the velcro on the front.
7. The inside of the vest on both the front and the back serve as pockets for the power banks and the wires.