SUNNY SIDE

Emma Thiebault

SUNNY SIDE

Emma Thiebault, Jake Soroff

it's always sunny somewhere

Emma Thiebault - 

Sunny Side is a light that shows where the sun is shining over the earth, essentially demonstrating the different time zones of the world, and where the sun is shining. The idea behind this design is to show how the whole world is connected by the sun, and when one person is experiencing nighttime, that just means that another person is getting a bit of sunlight. Feeling connected is vital, especially during periods of time that are harder for some people, but it can be difficult, especially with different time zones, so Sunny Side is used to remind people of their connection to the world and the sun. 

Research shows that sunlight is beneficial to humans, and it's known that human beings cannot live without sunlight. Although Sunny Side is not real sunlight, it mimics the rotation and shine of the sun. Light therapy is becoming more and more popular, and it's often used for those with seasonal depression, anxiety, and other issues, and Sunny Side has the same essential idea. It reinstates a feeling of connection and belonging, as well as proves that the connection one feels with those around them is very strong. 

Anyone can benefit from Sunny Side, whether a person has a relation to someone in another place or just wants to see how everyone fits together in this world. Because Sunny Side is a versatile tool for consumers, one can plug in only the light of the earth, and manually adjust the location of the map over the light. However, the user can also activate a motor that electronically moves the light according to approximately how the sun shines over the earth.


Jake Soroff -

Sunny Side is a desk lamp in the form of a globe that represents where the sun is on the planet where it is currently daytime and follows the rotation of the planet on a 24 hour cycle. The essential goal of the Sunny Side is, while only using a small desk lamp, connecting humans together by showing that while one may be experiencing nighttime, the people on the opposite side of the planet are in the sun. As an example, one child afraid of the dark could take comfort in using the Sunny Side as a nightlight, always knowing that the sun is shining somewhere. People can connect with the globe in knowing throughout the day that during the day people around the world will be asleep and during night people opposite will be busy in their days. Sunny Side helps make the world seem a little smaller and makes one feel connected with other humans around the world.

Sunny Side is a 7x7x4in wood box with an 8in globe resting on the top. Inside the box is a smaller platform made from wood with a motor resting on top. The motor is connected to an arduino board that is programmed to make one full rotation using 24 individual short movements, with a one hour delay between each turn, one full rotation is 24 hours long. The arduino is then connected to a 9v battery which rests in a small container on the outside side of the box. Resting on the top of the motor is a circular wood platform with a small wood board standing up holding a semi circular piece of wood. On the semi circle of wood there is an LED strip connected to a smaller arduino board, this arduino is connected to the side of this semi circular wood, on the other side is small wood container which holds another 9v battery that connects to the arduino.