michelle li » sketch

Technical Explorations

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:57:38 +0000

To implement a working model of my memory marbles as proof of concept, I looked into various possible technologies for the detection of marbles and transfer/reading of data. RFID and Bluetooth were the most common and appropriate technologies for an ideal implementation. I ventured out to the Hong Kong RFID Centre in Shatin to take a look at the various forms (tags and readers) and uses in real applications. It was quite interesting, but the smallest RFID tags were still too big to be used with marbles (1.75cm diameter). Additionally, since RFID tag and reader must be placed parallel of each other for proper data transfer, tags inside a mable may end up sitting perpendicular to a reader because of the rolling nature of marbles resulting in no tag detection.

Due to project time constraints, I have decided to simulate a working interactive model using micro-controllers and switches to communicate between the physical model and PC. Switches installed in the physical model will be triggered by marbles that are inputted, and signals will be sent to a keyboard interface to activate a particular keystroke. A program running on the PC will then receive the keystroke as input and output audio and visual displays.

General technical overview of the actual implementation versus the ideal implementation.

Marble Interactions

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:34:41 +0000

Exploring marble games and contraptions and different forms for my Memory Marbles.

Sketching out possible interactions with Memory Marbles.

Concept Direction: Lost Marbles

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:30:42 +0000

To lose one’s marbles is an expression meaning to lose one’s mind or to forget. I play on this phrase for my concept direction. Baby Boomers are afraid of forgetting, whether through the natural aging process of inheriting Alzheimer’s Disease. Marbles harken back to childhood nostalgia; they can be used as playful, portable, tangible devices to store tidbits of memories for reflection, sharing and exploration.

Below is an slide excerpt of my interim concept presentation.

Brainstorming: Play

admin — Sun, 31 May 2009 09:50:10 +0000

The wonderful thing about the aging Baby Boomers I interviewed, as opposed to the current elderly population, is that they enjoy staying active through hobbies, sports and enjoyable activities. Another thing is their engagement in play to stimulate their minds as well as maintain social connectedness. I researched existing tangible, playful forms, and brainstormed ideas for possible design opportunities.

Traveller Safety Net

admin — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:38:53 +0000

Focusing our concept direction on the idea of the “safety net”, we provide the traveller a sense of security that they are connected back home and have medical records tracked and stored with him or her. This idea stems from insights acquired from interviews detailing situations where even the most adventurous traveller wanting to explore on his own can feel terrified in medical emergencies, particularly, when he has trouble communicating his situation or understanding his medical condition. I have personally found myself in this situation too in a foreign country and have felt the panic of not only trying to communicate with the local hospital staff, but also trying to connect with family back home.

Our direction will be exploring the idea of tracking the history of travel locations and medical/physiological data in order to address the health concerns of travellers while maintaining a connection with people back home.

Below is a storyboard illustrating our idealized situation with our conceptual idea.

Kinetic Pine Cone

admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:29:44 +0000

In considering the movement of organic opening and closing I decided to base my kinetic design on a pine cone. Below are some studies of the movement, and ways in which I could make a simple working prototype in less than 2 days. Initially I tried to use the structure of an umbrella as a basis for the motion of pushing upwards and outwards. I took 3 umbrellas and disassembled them in an attempt to extract the runner and stretchers to layer them atop one another. It turned out quite messy and just short of disastrous, and I realized it would be impossible to make it work in less than 24 hours. In the end I employed a simpler method of using a cardboard tube with arm pulleys sticking out of the core and a centre core moving the pulleys when being pulled upwards.