ALA Pico Showcase!

When asked to recount the experiences of creating a city, one usually responds with a befuddled, confused face.
"A city? That's going to take forever! That sounds so hard!"
Fortunately, this isn't the case for our ALA DesignIT interns.
"Oh, a city? Whoa. Let's make a casino!"
A few weeks ago, the lovely Sammie brought an idea to the table- the creation of an interactive city using programmable PICO crickets. The city would include lights, sensors, light-relays, motors and of course our DesignIT Teens in miniature form.

Mini-Teens in the Pico City!

Here is a project where the imagination of each DesignIT Teen is put to the test. A mixture of team work, interaction with the public, and technological expertise in programming is showcased. The result...

ALA Teens Showcase Work

The imaginations of the ALA teens seemed to flourish in this project. Buildings ranged from a Pico-Sound Sensitive Grocery store to a light-relay back to back casino. Stephanie created a hotel featuring the DesignIT Staff, Interns and her friends from ALA. On top of the casino, she created a roller coaster, which activated whenever someone yelled, "Go!" in the PICO sensor.

Stephanie with her PicoScrapper


When the students worked the PicoVegas showcase on Friday and Saturday night, they all acknowledged a difference in crowds compared to the daytime crowds during the week. They pointed out that there were not only kids (which they were used to) but parents as well. It was then said that it was harder to get the museum patrons involved PicoVegas. Although this may have hindered their willing to try to interact with the public, they went out and brought children and parents to see their project. The result...

a success!