The HAL 9000
What is HAL?
When you walk into the Makerspace, one of the first things you may see is a large blue box with a bright red button, and a sign naming it HAL. Anyone who has seen Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey may be wondering if we actually have a killer AI housed in our Makerspace. I am happy to tell you that the Makerspace is completely safe. What we do have is a monolithic robot that will be happy to play a random song or quote for you from a vast library of sound bites. Just hit the bright red button and let our meme-machine do his thing! The best thing is, anybody can make their own personal HAL at home.
How Does HAL Work?
At his core, HAL is an Arduino micro-controller and Raspberry PI 3 computer working together to do various functions. The Arduino senses button presses and communicates them to the PI via a serial bus. The PI plays the appropriate sound through the attached speaker and tells the Arduino what kind of sound was made. Then, the Arduino makes sure the correct colors are displayed on the light strip and repeats the process. Using the Arduino along with the PI allows for lots of different inputs and outputs to be controlled by one program on the PI. Though HAL is simple now, many sensors, switches, levers, and lights could and might be added to HAL in the future.
Hal's Origin Story
Hal began as a desire to share the spirit of making in a computer-oriented fashion. When Scott Schmader found an empty server cabinet behind the College of Engineering, he brought it to Corbett Larsen and they began brainstorming ideas. Gradually, they came to like the idea of using the large cabinet to house a “robot” that would house a single button, but be large enough and designed in such a way as to allow other people to add to HAL. According to Larsen,
“Our Goal was to create something that anyone could contribute to.”
When they got a reused production-grade button and a salvaged speaker to say the HAL-9000’s iconic self-introduction, HAL, as we know him, was born.
The Life and Times of HAL
A Short History of HAL as Told by Co-Creator Scott Schmader
” The HAL that exists today came about through a series of ideas, projects, and fortuitous circumstances. He started out as nothing more than an empty server cabinet salvaged by a regular Makerlab user from the dumpster behind the College of Engineering. After taking up space as a large inanimate object for far longer than had been originally planned, students interested in more computer-oriented making took on the challenge of creating something to help show off their work and engage those visiting the Makerlab. Based on previous workshops he had taught, Corbett Larsen set about creating a button that, when pressed, would play a random audio clip from a stored library. Using an Arduino Uno and Raspberry Pi 2 connected via a serial cable, he set the project up for future success by allowing the addition of multiple peripheral devices. Carried forward by Larsen and members of the Creative Technologies Association (CTA), the server cabinet was given a name: HAL (originally an acronym for Haptic Applications Laboratory), and a layout for future additions was drafted to include dozens of buttons, switches, levers, and dials – all meant to provide a playground for makers to learn Arduino and RPi technology and show off their skills. On a field trip to the local Reuseum (a kind of thrift store for nerds), the CTA came across a large red industrial button that fit the goal of the HAL project perfectly. Attached to the body of the cabinet using a printed mount designed by Larsen, the “big red button” would come to define HAL’s existence. Speakers (also salvaged from a dumpster) were mounted inside, and a masonite panel was fitted over the opening in the back to direct the sound out the front grill. The first successful test of the fully-assembled system cemented HAL’s place as more than just a project, but as a mascot of the Makerlab and its community. With the addition of a sound bite introducing himself as a “HAL 9000 computer”, HAL was instantly personified. As Corbett Larsen moved on to bigger and better things, HAL’s maintenance and additional features were taken up by project partner Scott Schmader. Developing upon the fantastic work Larsen had already done, Schmader continued to expand HAL’s library of sound clips based on requests from the community. HAL became a staple of the Makerlab and the CTA – joining members at events all over Boise as an ambassador for the university and its makers. After almost a year of daily use, Schmader upgraded HAL to include a second “startup” button, and strips of addressable LEDs inside his front panel. These lights helped solidify HAL’s presence as a large “thinking” computer – when, in actuality, his internal components took up very little space. Over the years, HAL accumulated an impressive repertoire of audio clips and songs. The large selection of references to pop culture videos, movies, songs, and games earned him the nickname “The Meme Machine”. Almost everyone who has visited the Albertsons Library Makerlab has pressed the big red button. The random nature of his response means that he has been looked to as a decision maker, fortune teller, babysitter, and friend. Once a dated piece of equipment destined for the trash, today he continues to be updated and maintained by Stephen Richardson and other avid makers looking to share the joy and life of our friend HAL.”
Help us Improve HAL!
At the end of the day, HAL is as much yours as it is ours. We want him to represent what you are capable of doing and that we all can build and make together. As such, we want you to help us make HAL even better! Please, submit any ideas for more sounds or capabilities in the form linked below! Remember, though, that super-cute 5-year-old from next door is also going to be able to play with HAL, so keep suggestions appropriate… Thanks!