Development of product form
After being assigned a famous designer, I was tasked with creating a timepiece based on their philosophy.
The designer I received was Frank Gehry and I set out to create a unique, interactive timepiece that fit his style.
Tiled metal surface
A galvanized aluminum top along with the caps on the legs harken back to Frank Gehry’s use of metal for its reflective characteristics
Contrasting indicator leg
The sharply contrasting orange indicator leg gives a point of reference for discerning time
Minimal ground contact
Affords the piece a precarious though still grounded stance
Asymmetric viewing area
The skewed pentagonal viewing area becomes an interesting window through which the viewer tells time
Time cube
Constructed of tinted acrylic, it keeps time through an internally rotating light that makes one full revolution per day
Alias
Designed in Alias to be rapid prototyped as well as for an easy transition into production. The design criteria for this project was to create a working flashlight under 4 inches based on the internals of an existing design.
The CAD model had to be made keeping both the tolerances of FDM printing and production injection molding in mind, while still staying true to my initial design and also incorporating a complicated closing and on/off mechanism.
Human Factors
For this project, I first gathered Anthropometric data from reference sources as well as my peers and then sought to make the common kitchen tongs more suitable for everyday use with the gathered measurements and a general knowledge of human factors.
The finished product was a radically improved design that sacrificed nothing in terms of usability while improving style and fixing many common design flaws.
Muscle & tendon stress
Through user testing and quantitative research, I pinpointed common muscle and tendon stresses
Developing mechanics
After searching for a hinging system which allowed for a better all around experience I decided to go with a centralized hinge point and angled arms.
Developing mechanics
Altering the angle of the arms and applying a better grip changed the entire grasping mechanics of the kitchen tongs, allowing for a more lateral grasping action that utilizes the whole hand versus the more sharp angular action of the previous design.
Sponsored Project
Working directly with the designers at Techtronic Industries in Hong Kong, my peers and I each developed individual projects based on Ryobi’s One + system.
The Ryobi One + System consists of an interchangeable battery which is easily swappable between an entire platform of power tools. Our goal was to identify a market not yet hit by Ryobi products and then find a need within that market, through technology, developing a solution.
Lasers
In my research I came across the Photonic Fence technology developed by intellectual ventures for the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Developed to halt the spread of mosquitoes it utilized lasers and infrared sensors to track and destroy mosquitoes instantly, mid-flight.
Exploration
After deciding upon a laser mosquito immolator for the comfort camping and outdoor markets, I set out to find a form which was functional yet not at all intimidating.
Final Model
The fully oscillating base allows for 360 coverage with a potential kill radius of up to 100 ft.
Research Analysis
To start off, I created a survey to get a feel for people’s attitudes towards furniture as well as identify some of the causes for becoming attached and then finally detached from the pieces we own.
When asked, a quarter of those surveyed said their favorite piece of furniture was a chair and I felt the chair was a fitting iconic starting point which I could build upon.
Through my research I learned a great deal about human interaction with furniture, which I then attempted to take into consideration when designing my chair.
The Concept
The Wanderlust chair is a piece of furniture meant to shift the way we look at home furnishing. The design collapses down to take up less than 1/5th of the area, making transportation and storage easier as well as greatly reducing shipping costs.
It is constructed using a Kevlar composite for the body and high grade aluminum for the joints and connections. The seat is made from comfortable, yet tough quilted leather that slides off for storage. This chair would be capable of outliving its first owner, and would ideally be passed down from generation to generation.
Collapsible
A locking articulated hinge which slides out of the frame to collapse in conjunction with a stationary pivoting hinge that rotates on one axis allow this design freedom uncommon in most contemporary folding chairs while shinking to 1/5th the size.
Advanced Kevlar Construction
An extremely light and durable composite material more forgiving than carbon fiber and far stronger than traditional fiberglass seemed the natural choice when looking to make furniture last a lifetime.
Durable Aluminum Joints
Where repetitive motion required higher friction wear resistance while keeping the weight light I looked at the incredibly durable 7075 Aluminum alloy. The articulated locking ball joints should outlast any stationary part on a traditional chair by decades.
