Rupture in Time

Gabe Murray:

Rupture in Time is a device that helps the user recognize the importance of living in the present. For half of their lives humans focus on the future or past without noticing what is fully going on in the present time. Not focusing on the present causes unhappiness and can make people uneasy or stressed. Rupture in Time is focused on calming the human brain and helps people of all ages live in the moment. Additionally, Rupture in Time has gears showing which adds on to the feeling of time passing.

Rupture in Time is a shape that slowly is taken apart and put back together. A motor spins some gears that pull in and out sticks. These sticks create the illusion that the shape is exploding and coming back together. However, the shape is only together for a quick second and during this time the user will have a higher chance of noticing the moment. If our user is very anxious or unfocused they can look at this shape and calm down. This allows the user to then go back to their work less stressed.

Tommy Nordahl:

Rupture in Time is an exploding timepiece, constantly being torn asunder and reassembling. This project attempts to solve the problem of regret and anxiety, helping people to live peacefully and focus on the present moment. This project was inspired by a visit to the MIT Museum, where a multitude of pieces by Arthur Ganson were on display. The piece Cory’s Yellow Chair was especially impactful, inspiring the incorporation of a complex system using one motor and the infinite “explosion” of an object. In turn, Rupture in Time poignantly conveys the importance of the present moment.

This project can be used by anyone, but it is intended to be especially impactful among youths and those who struggle with anxiety. Rupture in Time had many iterations, but it settled on a more complex mechanical project based on the idea of the chair’s explosion. Rather than the object exploding on a flat 2D plane, it would explode in 3D. We prototyped a variety of different objects, i.e. an exploding lightbulb and a broken kintsugi pot. The project ended up as a complex geometric 3d printed object constructed of triangles and pentagons. A system of wooden gears was developed, using an Arduino to control the motor. This system allowed one DC motor to move panels on all three axes with the use of actuators. The wooden gears weren’t sturdy enough, but they were very conceptually strong and they still functioned properly, though not consistently. The code and circuitry worked, the object printed smoothly, and the gears spun, there was no more time to finish the design.

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