Smart Building Brick

Smart Building Brick 

Introduction:

This brick is meant to be used in building sets to add a simple but complex net of sensors and actuators. Using four I2C connections, you can attach more than 4 meters of sensors to your creations. It includes an ATTinny85 microchip which is programed using an Arduino board in Arduino ISP mode.

What is I2C?:

"I2C stands for the inter-integrated controller. This is a serial communication protocol that can connect low-speed devices. It is a master-slave communication in which we can connect and control multiple slaves from a single master. In this, each slave device has a specific address." "Tutorialspoint.com"

What is Arduino ISP?:

The Arduino ISP isan In-System-Programmer that is used to program AVR microcontrollers. You can use the Arduino ISP to upload sketches directly on the AVR-based Arduino boards without the need of the bootloader.

Here is a tutorial on Instructables on how to program an attiny using an Arduino UNO:

Building and Assembling:

Soldering:

Soldering the board is a very straight-forward process; first, solder the attiny chip facing the top of the board (as shown in the 4th photo), then solder a male pin on each of the pins. And lastly, solder the push button in its place on the board.

Printing:

For the 3d-printed parts, I used PLA and printed the parts at 15% infill. The bottom part doesn't require any supports but the top part does.

If you followed the steps closely, you should have a finished brick by now.

EXPANDED TECHNICAL DETAILS

Modular Architectural IoT Framework

Smart Building Brick explores the future of construction by embedding intelligence directly into physical building materials.

• Interlocking Power/Data Bus: Each "Brick" features custom-designed spring-contacts. When bricks are snapped together, they share a common power rail and a serial data bus (I2C or One-Wire), allow the "Master" brick to identify the structure's shape.
• PCBWay Manufacturing Optimization: The internal electronics were professionally fabricated by PCBWay, ensuring the components are slim enough to fit inside a standard brick housing without compromising its strength.

Connectivity

• Structural Integrity Mesh: (Features) Every brick includes a strain-gauge or accelerometer; the bricks report "Structural Health" data to a central gateway, allowing for real-time monitoring of walls or buildings.