Theory
Our standpoint is that present reality is not inherently binding. In order to escape the monotony and dullness of everyday life or draw unprejudiced conclusions about society, one has to find a way to step outside reality. The feeling of reality is much like an equation, where certain conditions yield certain outcomes. As one experiences the world, they become acclimated to the results that they see every day. People come to expect certain things:
The Trippy Goggles change or wholly disrupt each of these. By seeing yourself on the ceiling or wall, you become a step outside of reality, as you contradict the rules that reality sets in place. This step outside a normalized feeling of connection between actions and results disrupts the normal experience of corporeal existence and leads to a number of interesting results.
Additionally, the goggles give the wearer a chance to take a step outside not only reality, but society. The experience of using the goggles is subjective, but it is not subject to the same terms as observation of a society from within. It is not subject to what the wearer would normally consider “normal.” This jump is necessary for an even-handed assessment of the merits of the society being observed.
While wearing the goggles, one must consciously process experiences and actions that would normally come instinctively. This can be as simple as walking up stairs, or it can be as complex as manipulating an object with your hands. This prevents anything from truly feeling “normal” or “everyday” and allows for a higher level of generalized thought while observing societal interactions.
This aspect of the goggles ties directly to psychogeographical theories about human movement. Instead of disrupting the normalized path of a human walking from point A to point B through the use of localized architectural or interaction-based interventions, the goggles use psychological and visual manipulation to change the experience of movement and existence.
The experience of viewing something through the goggles should be more captivating and thought-provoking than viewing the same area with the naked eye. It should be a profoundly introspective experience that simultaneously forces you to rethink the society surrounding you, even down to extremely simple interactions like walking past someone on the sidewalk.
By forcing the viewer to rethink their surroundings, the goggles enable them to observe present society not as a member, but as an outside, more objective observer. While the naked-eyed viewer may not give a second thought to someone avoiding eye contact or walking faster when they see someone else, the goggles force you to notice this and more. You need to notice all of it, because you’re forced to reprocess your surroundings.
Wearing the goggles also gives you a chance to escape the repetitiveness of everyday life, again allowing for a chance to rethink life as it is today. Some experiences with the goggles feel powerful or existential, while others are simply entertaining or amusing. These experiences also provide an opportunity for escape from daily routines and schedules. This allows the wearer to think about whether they truly want to be a part of these sort of organized, repetitive patterns of life.
As well as rigid patterns of time, the goggles make the wearer rethink rigid patterns of movement. As
Thoreau says:
“Roads are made for horses and men of business. I do not travel in them much comparatively, because I am not in a hurry to get to any tavern, or grocery, or livery stable, or depot to which they lead” (Thorough, Walking Part 1, ¶19)
Most people in modern-day capitalistic society have a place of residence and at least one place of work. They go from their place of residence to place of work without pausing to stop and take in the scenery, and with as little interaction with others as possible. They never have a chance to make an educated decision about whether society in its present form is correct for them - indeed, they never get a chance to truly observe society except as a member of it.
Aesthetic
The goggles should feel like they could lift you off the ground and into the sky. They should fade away while on your face and feel like they aren’t quite there (for a greater sense of immersion and reorientation instead of disorientation or confusion).
Related Works
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Merkaba is a 3d printed exotic looking bracelet that worked as a musical prosthetic. The bracelet itself has sharp points sticking out on one side and extends down the bracelet, unevenly. The bracelet has an arduino attached to the bracelet for the final presentation, and multiple wires connecting the bracelet to the patch on a users arm. The wires are soldered and placed in the correct holes of the arduino to send the data to the sensors. Each bracelet has two touch sensors, which play two different sounds according to the instrument each player is assigned.
In our team Isabella had the vocal bracelet - one of the sensors on the vocal bracelet manipulates the volume of her recorded singing , while the second sensor manipulates one of her coaches beat-boxing recordings. Jasper had the melody bracelet- both sensors on the bracelet are piano based sounds and has the manipulations of the volume. Lizzie had the beat bracelet- both sensors on the bracelet plays two different beats and has the manipulations of the volume aswell the other two bracelets.
Celia Hidell's Brief:
A pair of shoes that enable the user to manually adjust their height by pulling the bottom sole of their attachable shoe to enable the scissor lift to be used as a step stool feature to "step-up" and "step-down" to any available height when desired.
Every day, people with dwarfism are struggling all around the world to reach inconveniently placed things both in public places, and in their own homes. Not only is it incredibly frustrating to not be able to reach things that other people can effortlessly, but people with dwarfism also suffer from disrespectful actions and hurtful comments. But what are they supposed to do; carry around a step stool all the time? Constantly ask strangers to get things for them? No, They are just as self-sufficient as everyone around them, and want to be able to carry out their daily activities independently, and with ease. The Edward ScissorShoe is a fashionable series of connected shoe soles that strap on to the user's everyday shoes. Its main feature is an adjustable scissor lift, enabling the shoe to expand and contract when desired.
The Edward ScissorShoe contains six layers in total. These include (from bottom to top); A laser-cut base sole with three laser-cut adjustable locking hook mechanisms for the bolt on the scissor lift to slide through (these mechanisms contain four potential heights that can easily be adjusted to the user's needs as many, or as few, times as necessary); A 3-D printed layer that surrounds the sole of the shoe and is tall enough to cover the scissor lift and adjustable locking hook mechanisms when they are fully collapsed; A laser-cut scissor lift that is durably constructed and held together by a bolt and four nuts; Another laser-cut sole that mirrors the bottom sole and has a similar mechanism, the main difference being that this one allows the scissor lift to fully slide, and does not hook, in order to allow the maximum amount of potential collapsibility; A second 3-D printed layer that has clips that lock onto the actual sole of the user's shoe to ensure extra stability; And finally, two straps with buckles that keep the user's shoe from slipping around while they are walking .
Leah Grealish's Brief:
A shoe attachment that enables the user to adjust their height by moving the scissor lifts which give the desirable height of the user.
Dwarfism affects an estimated 30,000 people in the U.S. and more than 650,00 in the world. People with this medical condition are at most 4'10" tall and have much difficulty with completing everyday tasks. Often people with dwarfism have trouble reaching anything two feet above their heads. The most common places where people with dwarfism struggle are any type of store, gas stations, driving cars, reaching for door knobs and being able to see what they are cooking. The Edward ScissorShoe allows people with dwarfism to become 1 foot taller, making daily burdens barely a struggle.
The Edward ScissorShoe includes six layers. The 1st layer (bottom) is a laser-cut sole (wood) with laser-cut adjustable locks for the bolt through the scissor lift to slide through; A 3-D printed (plastic) layer that borders the sole of the attachment; A (wooden) laser-cut scissor lift that is held together by a bolt which is constructed in a way in which it is durable enough to support the users body; A (wooden) laser-cut sole that is very similar to the base sole, but the distinction is that this one allows the scissor lift to fully fold; Another 3-D printed layer that holds onto the users foot in the heel and four other side parts of the foot which allows the user to have full stability when walking; Two (cloth) straps with buckles that keep the users foot attached to the mechanism.
*ADVANCED STUDIO - Recommended for High School Students, Post-High School Gap Year Students and/or Returning NuVu Students*
Sports is one industry that is pushing the capabilities of prosthetics technology, allowing athletes and others to achieve higher levels of performance while transforming lives. New advances are creating smarter prosthesis that allow individuals to store energy, absorb shock better, and maneuver in efficient ways. Harnessing brain waves to control prosthetics is providing amazing possibilities for amputees, paralyzed, and disabled individuals. With these technological advances, athletes can become “cyborg athletes” who have the potential to outperform athletes without these enhancements. What are the possibilities presented by robotic prosthetics in the sports world? And how will these transform sporting competition as we know it?
In this studio, we’ll be exploring the future of sports prosthetics by creating adaptive robotic mechanisms for motion and sports. Using innovative textiles, materials and technologies, you will learn to how to design sports prosthetics that will improve the lives of people in the sports world. These devices will augment the capabilities of able-bodied individuals in addition to assisting those with disabilities. Based on the user group and challenges, students will design, build and program these prosthetics from the ground up, test them, and analyze how their products perform. Through this process, students will learn the basics of electronics, microcontrollers and computer programming. They will learn how to integrate external sensors (from simple switches and buttons to heat/temperature, light, gas, touch) and actuators (such as motors, lights, speakers, solenoids, valves, fans) into their designs to create responsive products. Students will also learn the engineering, 3D modeling, robotics, and programming skills to bring their vision to reality!
REGISTER HERE!
Focus Skills/Subjects/Technologies:
Industrial Design
Interaction Design
Fashion Design
Physics (Electricity, Magnetism)
Engineering
Programming
Electronics
Robotics (Arduino, Sensors, Actuators)
Digital Fabrication (Laser-cutting, 3d Printing)
3d Modeling
Prerequisites:
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Our assignment was to create a simulation of a disease for the user to empathize with the victims. To do this we had to find and research a disease that could be represented mechanically. Parkinson’s proved to have physical symptoms that wished to recreate. We chose to represent the hand tremors and the poor posture. To represent hand tremors, we created a laser cutted hand plate that would mount on the back of one's hand. Atop the hand plate we vertically placed a motor surrounded by laser cutted walls in order to provide stability. A 3.5 centimeter ellipse was then meshed to the gear on the motor. On the far side of the ellipse was a 20 millimeter M6 screw with two M6 nuts holding it in place. The hardware was incorporated to provide additional force exerted on the hand with each rotation of the motor. This created for more realistic hand tremors. To power the motor, we created a wrist module to encase a 9 volt battery. We then soldered a wire connector to the motor leaving a connectable side for the battery. Sturdy fabric strips and velcro were used to secure both the wrist and hand modules. To represent the poor posture that is often associated with parkinson’s, we designed a back brace that forces poor posture. This consisted of creating one large curve and notching four additional pieces horizontally. The back brace also used fabric straps to secure itself to the user's back. Our project produced extremely realistic results. The hand tremors were very natural and made normal tasks exceedingly difficult. One of the best traits of our project is the hand modules ability to shake more vigorously when the user performs a task. When the user grabs an object such as a pencil, the hand module will tighten around the hand creating faster tremors. This is often how hand tremors affect those with Parkinson’s disease. The back brace creates an unbalanced feeling and forces the user to experience bad posture. The two elements create for an overwhelming, slightly scary, and empathizing experience for the user.
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