UPDATE: here's a better final project idea.

I want to make a wireless remote that sends keypresses to my computer. In this era of online communication, I spend a lot of time on Discord and Zoom calls. Both of these platforms have a push-to-talk function, which is great, but I run into a problem because using push-to-talk requires me to be physically close to my laptop. I like to pace, or cook, or fidget, or wander around. As such, I want the ability to control my laptop from farther away. Although this project idea is inspired by push-to-talk specifically, I think there can also be expanded functionality for other useful keystrokes, like play/pause/skip or volume control. Ideally, the remote would have a couple of buttons and an easy way to re-map each button's function. If that's too difficult, then hardcoded button-keystroke mappings are okay, too. I want this project to be extremely convenient, so having it in some sort of wearable configuration, whether that's a bracelet/watch or a necklace pendant, would be ideal. That being said, size and weight of the electronic components may limit that possibility.

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I have two ideas for a final project. The first is to continue the work I did over my gap year on the Mars Missions rovers by designing the next generation bot. The second idea is a light-up rotating fidget tower.

Iterating on the rovers gives me an interesting provocation, a strong starting point including CAD files that I worked on, and already definitely involves 3D design, electronics, and microcontroller usage. However, there's some complexity because the team I worked with, who is back in California, is also already deep in the process of making the next generation. I don't want to duplicate effort with them, and working with them would be difficult to align with PS70's final project timeline.

Gen 1 CAD, a Gen 1 bot, and early Gen 2 CAD

A possible solution would be to take the rover in a different direction than the team, while still basing my next iteration on the first version. That way, I get the benefits of a strong foundation without the complexities.

The fidget tower is an idea for a desk fidget and lamp combined. It has multiple "floors" or stages that each rotate independently with tactile feedback (like a ratchet on one, or a really smooth bearing on another) to be a good fidget, and depending on the orientation of the stages relative to each other, they will light up.

The fidget tower would see actual use by me, whereas I'm not sure whether the rover has much actual application now that the camp experience is over and I'm not working with the main team.