SYSTEMA NERVOSUM is an interdisciplinary personal narrative on design, music, and identity. The project is composed of eleven parts, each addressing the themes of interconnection, the power of the human body, internal and external misunderstanding, and fear. The goal of SYSTEMA NERVOSUM was to create a body of work that reflected the very essence of creative and interdisciplinary thinking.

The purpose of this creative project was to create a stereo sound system in a unique medium. As a team, we decided to integrate a Tesla Coil with a bluetooth audio source. These high frequency, high voltage systems can be configured to emit their electrical discharge in a manner that resembles playing tunes. Originally the idea was to split the audio into left and right, then to further segregate the signals to have a treble, mid, and base emitter for each side. Due to time, budget, and scope constraints, we decided to complete the project with only two coils.<br/><br/>For this project, the team decided to use a solid-state coil kit. This kit was purchased from OneTelsa and would help ensure everyone’s safety and the project’s success. The team developed our own interrupting or driving circuit through reverse-engineering the interrupter provided by oneTesla and discussing with other engineers. The custom interpreter was controlled by the PSoC5 LP and communicated with an audio source through the DFRobot Bluetooth module. Utilizing the left and right audio signals it can drive the two Tesla Coils in stereo to play the music.

This creative project focused on the process of making an album from scratch. From songwriting to recording, this three-year project ended with the release of a ten-song album available on all streaming platforms. The goal of this project was to experience the same general process as professional recording artists and gain a better understanding of the music industry.